


never seen anyone quite like you before

by sopaloma



Series: bughead through the decades [5]
Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: 80s AU, F/M, V is giving off major Madonna vibes, and everyone works at a theme park
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-20
Updated: 2017-08-27
Packaged: 2018-12-17 09:55:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 22,476
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11849148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sopaloma/pseuds/sopaloma
Summary: It's 1987 and Jughead is spending his last summer before college working at Riverdale's local theme park - Adventureland. It's the last thing he wants to be doing until he realizes a certain blonde childhood friend is working the booth next to his.An 80s AU.





	1. games

**Author's Note:**

> title from New Order, "Temptation"
> 
> another entry into my bughead alternative era series! not as heavy as my 70s AU but there is some angst. 
> 
> this story was heavily inspired by Adventureland, a movie set in the 80s that was made in the 00s. but it also has hints of 80s teen movies like pretty in pink and say anything.

The ride from the trailer park to theme park is short and Jughead assumes that will be the only perk of the job.

The metal 'Adventureland' sign looms high over his head as he cycles through the gate, past the parking lot and comes to a stop outside the main office. He chains his bike up, grabs his backpack and heads inside.

His new boss, Larry, is waiting for him when he enters the office. He's stroking his fingers through his thick moustache and rises quickly to his feet when he sees him.

"Forsythe! You've made it to your first day of work. Are you excited?"

"Can't wait." The sarcasm goes right over Larry's head. "And uh, I go by Jughead."

"Jug-head?" He sounds it out and his moustache twitches. "Alrighty then. Let me show you around, _Jughead_."

He motions to the lockers for personal items and the punching-in machine by the door.

"This is your punching-in card," he says, handing him the piece of thick, yellow paper. "If you don't punch-in, you don't get paid." Jughead nods. "And you'll need a t-shirt. Medium, okay?"

"Yeah," he responds and Larry thrusts a blue shirt into his hands, the word 'Games' printed across it several times in a darker blue. This was okay - a t-shirt he could handle. A whole uniform would have been a different story.

After he's pulled on the shirt, Larry leads him out of the office and into the park, pointing out various things as they walk. He doesn't really pay attention - all he wants to do is work his booth, leave at five and get paid. He doesn't care about the history of the park.

Jughead has been assigned to the ring-toss game. It's an easy one, a game everyone knows, and Jughead's grateful. His summer was going to be a breeze.

Larry gives him a brief demonstration as if he's never seen a ring-toss before and points out the slightly thicker posts at the back that are impossible to land on.

"Can't have them scoring high and winning one of these giant-ass pandas," he explains, tapping the stuffed animal above their heads.

Jughead gives him a firm nod. "Got it. No giant-ass pandas."

"Any questions?"

"Um, nope." He shoves his hands into his pockets. "Actually, yeah - when's lunch?"

"12.30." Larry grasps his shoulder firmly and gives him a toothy smile. "You're gonna have a great summer here, kid."

"Sure," he agrees but he really doubts that's true.

"If you need any help ask Elizabeth. She works on the skee-ball stand," he says, banging his hand against the booth next to Jughead's.

"Will do," he replies and watches Larry turn and walk away.

He slumps against the ring-toss stand and closes his eyes, his head falling back and hitting the wood with a thump. The job was easy but he really didn't want to be here. If only the Whyte Wyrm hadn't been foreclosed, then he would have spent his summer doing a job he actually likes.

He just needs to focus on the paycheck and he'll be fine.

"Hey!"

He hears a feminine voice in front of him and he opens one eye to find the source.

 _Fuck_. He knows this girl. He scrambles to stand up straight.

"Betty Cooper?" he asks, surprise coloring his tone.

Her brow furrows for a second, but when recognition dawns a huge smile spreads across her pretty face. "Jughead Jones?"

"Yeah. Long time, no see." He rubs the back of his neck, feeling suddenly embarrassed. He's not sure why. "How have you been?"

"Good, really good. This is so weird! I haven't seen you in forever!" Her smile doesn't fade. "How have you been? You don't look like you're having the best day."

He sighs. "Just never expected to end up working at Adventureland during my last summer before college."

She gives him a half-smile. "It's not as bad as you think. This is my third year - I wouldn't keep coming back if it was awful."

She has a fair point.

He hasn't spoken to Betty Cooper in four years, since he transferred to Southside High in the seventh grade. He'd seen her a few times - at parties he and his buddies had crashed and at the grocery store - but it was only a glimpse. Now she's here in front of him and Jughead is both pleased and disgruntled to note that she's even prettier than she was when they were thirteen.

"So how is it, manning the skee-ball stand?" he asks, leaning against his own.

She smirks. "A dream come true. Well at least in comparison to the ring-toss. Larry really threw you under the bus there."

"What do you mean?"

"Drunk teenagers don't take kindly to rigged games. They can get pretty aggressive."

Jughead scoffs. "It's only a game."

"I'm just warning you," she says and lifts herself up to sit on the edge of her stand. He tries not to stare at her legs.

That annoys him. This was supposed to be an easy summer job - he didn't want to be dealing with drunk jocks acting like assholes.

Suddenly music starts up over the speaker system and Jughead grimaces when he hears _Rock Me Amadeus_. Betty barks out a laugh at his expression.

"Better get used to that. They play it over and over again, every day."

He scowls. "Jesus Christ."

"Have you met any of the other guys?"

He shakes his head. "You're the first person I've seen. Are they cool, the other people working here?"

"Most of them," she replies. "You'll know some of them from Riverdale High." She swings her legs back and forth as she suggests, "You should come to the party tonight - we're having a little get-together."

"No, it's okay," he says, not interested in trying to make friends with his co-workers. It's not like they wanted to be here together - they _had_ to be. Forming fake, forced friendships didn't sound fun to him.

"Come on," she whines. "It'll be fun! They're good guys, I promise."

She flutters her eyelashes at him, a little pout on her lips and he feels like a chump as he replies, "Fine."

She perks up, her ponytail swishing with the movement. "Awesome." She grins. "Do you still live in Sunnyside? I can pick you up."

"Yeah," he mumbles, surprised she remembers.

"I'll come by at eight."

 

 

 

His first day goes smoothly and no ones wins a giant-ass panda so he figures he must be doing an okay job. He rides home and heats up some leftovers before taking a shower. Betty had said the party was casual and at some guy named Reggie's house, so he wears the same jeans he wore to work and changes into a Judas Priest shirt.

His palms are clammy as he waits for Betty to arrive and he doesn't know why he feels so nervous. He definitely wasn't the best in social situations but he didn't care about impressing these people.

Well, except Betty. _And there was the problem._

He'd always had a crush on her when they were kids. She was pretty and nice and the only girl that hadn't made fun of him over his shitty home and his equally shitty clothes.

And today he discovered Betty was just as nice at eighteen as she had been back then, with one added feature - she got _hot_.

She had stopped by his booth to chat frequently throughout the day and had ordered him to join her and one of the other girls for lunch, every bit the polite, good girl she had been raised to be.

She'd also been wearing tiny, pastel shorts and he couldn't stop looking at her legs everytime she talked to him. They were long and smooth and lightly toned. He wonders if she does that jazzercise thing his neighbor is always talking about.

He hears a horn beep outside and checks out the window. Betty is idling near his trailer in a little red Volkswagen. He slams the trailer door shut as he leaves - not bothering to say goodbye to his dad who is probably passed out by now - and gets into the passenger seat.

"Hey," she grins and was she always so goddamn smiley?

"Hey," he responds and his eyes flicker briefly to her legs. She's wearing jeans, thank god. He also notes that she's wearing her hair down, her bangs framing her face, and surprisingly it's not permed like most of the girls he saw these days.

"So who is Reggie?" he asks as they pull out of the park and onto the highway.

"A guy I went to school with, transferred during junior year. He works on the bumper cars at the park. His girlfriend is my best friend," she explains. "He's funny, you'll like him."

Jughead's going to reserve judgement until he meets the guy.

Music is filtering out of the stereo and one side of Jughead's mouth quirks up. "New Order?"

She smiles but her eyes are still trained on the road. "Yeah, do you like them?"

"Love them. They're great."

She seems pleased by that and reaches for the dial to turn the music up.

They pull up outside of a big house in a really nice neighborhood, a Bush '88 sign placed firmly in the center of the manicured lawn. There's a few people hanging out outside and Betty greets them as they pass them. The house isn't too busy - there aren't that many employees at the park - and he follows Betty's lead into the kitchen.

"B!" a brunette shouts and wraps her arms around Betty.

"Hey, V." She pulls away from the embrace to turn to him. "This is Jughead, he just started at Adventureland today. Jughead, this is Veronica."

The brunette stretches her painted red lips into a wide smile. She's short and over-dressed for a house party in a black mesh top and high waisted pants, a big gold buckle attached to her belt and too many bracelets adorning her arms. She has one of those bows in her hair that he's seen Madonna wear in posters and her black bra is visible through her shirt. She's nothing like Betty.

"Nice to meet you."

Betty raises up on her toes and scans the room. "Where's Reggie?" she asks and her question is answered as a tall guy comes up behind her and lifts her up in his massive arms.

"B. Coop!" he shouts as she giggles.

"Put me down, Reg!" He places her back onto the ground and slings both of his arms around the two girls. "Reggie, this is Jughead. He's working the ring-toss stand."

Reggie scrunches up his nose. "Tough break, man. Hey, you want a beer?"

Before Jughead can answer, Reggie is walking over to the refrigerator.

"He seems... nice."

Betty laughs. "He's a good guy, if not a little crazy."

Reggie returns with a beer in each hand. "You ever play beer pong?"

"I have. Why?"

"Awesome." He grabs Betty's arm and pulls her out of the kitchen. She grabs Jughead's hand before she leaves, dragging him with her. "You two can be on my team," he tells them as they enter the backyard.

There's a table set-up outside and there's a small group surrounding it, assumedly their opponents. Jughead's never been particularly competitive but it's hard not to be when Reggie's shouting in his ear everytime he gets the ball into the cup. The guy is enthusiastic about everything and it's kind of infectious.

Betty seems to feel the same way, always laughing at Reggie and trash-talking the opposing team when he encourages her. She's totally carefree and he wonders how much of it is because of the beer and how much is just her.

Veronica doesn't bat an eyelid at her boyfriend's antics as she watches from the sidelines, spending her time engaging in celebratory make-outs with him anytime he scores. It's happening so often that her lipstick has completely disappeared.

When Jughead manages to bounce the ball from one cup to another and wins them the game, Reggie hoists him up onto his shoulders and parades him around the yard. Jughead can't stop laughing when he finally sets him down on his feet.

Betty nudges him with her elbow and throws him a smirk. "I told you you'd have fun."

He rolls his eyes and mutters, "Whatever," but he's still smiling.

Reggie asks Jughead to come with him to get some more beers from the kitchen.

"Want another beer?" he asks Betty.

"I can't drink anymore if I'm gonna drive us home, but a water would be good."

"Sure thing."

He follows Reggie back into the house and leans up against the counter as he opens the fridge.

"So what's up with you and Betty, man? Did you guys used to date when you were younger?"

Jughead frowns. "No, we were, like, thirteen. Why?"

Reggie shrugs and stack two beers onto the countertop. "I've just never seen Betty flirt with a guy before. Well except for Archie. I figured there was some history there."

Jughead is glad that someone else had noticed Betty's flirty jokes and the way she kept touching his arm during the game. He thought he had imagined it.

Then he realizes what Reggie had just said.

"Archie Andrews?" he asks because that's the only Archie he ever knew at Riverdale.

"Yeah, do you know him?"

"We used to be friends - back in the day." Archie had been one year older than him and Betty but they had hung out sometimes as kids.

Reggie nods and grabs Betty's water.

"Were they... together?" he asks hesitantly, not wanting to seem like he's prying into Betty's personal life.

"For years," he replies. "They went on a break just before the summer started, something about long-distance not working. It's complicated."

"Oh, right." Jughead doesn't know what else to say. He's not sure why Reggie's giving him all this information. Betty was only flirting with him; it's not like he was actually going to ask her out.

"Just be careful, dude." Reggie passes him the water and two beers. "I wouldn't get caught up in all of that if I was you."

"Yeah, I won't. Thanks for the heads up."

When they reach the girls again, Jughead hands over Betty's water and her fingers deliberately slide against his as she takes it from him.

"Thanks."

He feels weird after his conversation with Reggie and he's not sure why. He tries to shake it off, wanting to enjoy the rest of his night, but he's acutely aware of every time Betty smiles at him or brushes her hand against his.

It's late when they finally leave and Jughead is feeling pretty drunk. He really hopes he doesn't have a hangover in the morning.

"You're riding your bike to work, right?" she asks as she drives them to the trailer park.

"Yeah."

"Want a ride tomorrow?"

He raises his eyebrows in surprise. "Really?"

"Yeah, it's no problem. I can pick you up on my way to work."

"That would be amazing," he tells her honestly. The ride to the park wasn't long but he hated riding his bike in the summer heat. He always felt sweaty and gross.

"Great. I'll swing by around eight," she says as she pulls into Sunnyside.

He opens the door when she parks outside his trailer but pauses before he gets out.

"I had a really good time tonight. Thanks for inviting me, Betty."

Yet another smile stretches across her face.

"No problem. Thanks for coming with me." She leans across and presses a quick kiss to his cheek - a fleeting, barely-there press of her lips. It's probably the alcohol but he swears his cheek tingles afterwards. "It was fun hanging out with you."

He stumbles out of the car, up to the trailer and as he collapses onto his bed, the room starts to spin. He is definitely going to wake up with a hangover.

 

 

 

Carpooling with Betty becomes the best part of his day. They spend their journeys to and from work talking about anything and everything - from their favorite bands to their favorite movies, and what they've been up to in the years between seventh grade and graduation.

"The Smiths are so depressing, Jug," she tells him one morning after he complains that she doesn't have any of their cassettes in her glovebox. "Morrissey really needs to lighten up."

"Morrissey sings about misery like no other," he argues. "You have to respect the guy's commitment to sounding like the most miserable bastard alive."

She snorts at that and doesn't protest when he leaves his _The Queen Is Dead_ cassette in her car the following morning.

He also starts hanging out with her, Reggie and Veronica after work, and gets talking to the guy manning the horse-racing booth, Dilton.

He can't remember the last time he hung out with his friends from school, opting instead to spend his free time at the movies with his co-workers or hanging out at Reggie's or Veronica's place. 

It's fun and he likes the people he works with, but hanging out with them also means he gets to spend more time with Betty. Despite Reggie's warning, he's not about to turn that chance down. Especially when things seem to be changing between them.

There's been a definite shift and their conversations in her car aren't the only change in their relationship that he's enjoying. It's the little touches - like the way she'll tug on his belt loop as she passes him and throw him a sweet smile, or how she'll purposefully brush her hand against his when they sit next to each other at lunch.

He wants more of it, more of her.

 

 

When she's driving him home one Thursday, she asks him about his plans for college and he realizes he has no idea what she's doing after the summer ends.

"I got into NYU but I'm not sure what I'll major in yet."

Betty grins at him. "No way! I'll be there, too. I want to study journalism."

"You're going to NYU?" he asks, surprised, and she nods enthusiastically.

"That's cool. It'll be good knowing someone in the city."

"For sure."

It's quiet for a moment before he blurts out, "Where does Archie go to school?"

He doesn't know why he said it - it really wasn't his business.

Admittedly, he'd been curious about their relationship ever since he'd talked to Reggie. They'd always been close when they were kids - they grew up next door to each other - so it made sense that they had become more as teenagers.

A big part of him also wanted to know if Betty was single. Reggie had said they were 'on a break' but he doesn't know what that means.

"He's at UM," she responds, side-eyeing him. "Why are you asking about Archie?"

Jughead shrugs and tries to play it off. "We were friends in middle school. Just wondered what he was up to."

"Okay." She drags out the word, sounding suspicious. She definitely doesn't believe him.

"Must have been tough for you guys," he says as nonchalantly as he can. "Maine is, what - seven hours away?"

Her brow is furrowed now, her eyes focused in front of her. "Did Reggie tell you about us?"

"He may have mentioned it," he admits sheepishly.

Her fingers flex as they tighten on the steering wheel. "All you need to know is, he isn't the same sweet kid he was in middle school. In fact, he's kind of an asshole."

It gets quiet again and Jughead doesn't know what to say. Betty sighs beside him and he looks over at her.

"Can we talk about something else? Something fun?"

"Sure," he agrees and starts grilling her about Indiana Jones and whether she's seen both movies.

He doesn't bring Archie up again.

 

 

 

He's eating lunch by the Ferris wheel with Reggie, Dilton and Betty - Betty's thigh pressed up against his despite all the space next to her on the bench seat - when Cheryl Blossom arrives.

She parades through the park as if she's taking part in Miss Universe, chewing incessantly on a piece of gum. Her acid-wash jeans are so tight they're like a second skin and her pink 'Rides' shirt is cut to slip down on one shoulder, exposing a blue bra strap. He watches the teenage boys - and some adult men - around her, watching her with hungry eyes, unable to tear their gaze away. She swishes her long hair over her shoulder - permed within an inch of it's life - as she meets their eyes with a flirty look.

"Is that Cheryl Blossom?" Jughead asks, in disbelief. "Her family is filthy rich. Why the hell is she working here?"

"You didn't hear?" Betty asks. "Her dad went to prison for embezzlement two years ago. The Blossoms lost most of their money and her mom made her get a job, so she came here."

Jughead's eyebrows raise at the information. So Cheryl was no longer a rich girl but she clearly still walked around with the authority and entitlement of one.

"No shit. I had no idea the Blossoms turned into a shitshow."

"It was really messy," Dilton chimes in.

Cheryl begins to walk over in their direction and Betty groans.

"I don't have the patience to deal with her today," she says as she picks up her lunch box. "I'm going back to my stand. I'll see you guys later."

Cheryl approaches the table, staring briefly at Betty's retreating form, before she turns to Reggie - completely ignoring Dilton - a smirk on her glossy, pink lips.

"How's your summer been so far, Reg?"

"It's good. Didn't realize you were coming back this year."

"I was visiting my brother for a few weeks in Vermont but Larry said I could work for the rest of the summer," she explains and then turns her focus to Jughead. "So who's your friend? New guy?"

"Jughead Jones," he introduces himself. "We actually went to middle school together."

Her eyes light up in acknowledgment. "I remember you - the kid from the trailer park who always wore a beanie." Jughead grimaces at the description. "Wow," she says, her eyes trailing over him. "You grew up good, Jughead."

"Uhh... thank you?"

"Well I need to head back, but I'll see you around," she tells them. "Later, Reggie. Jughead," she says and winks.

He blinks in confusion as Cheryl walks away, and Reggie and Dilton guffaw.

"Holy shit, dude. Cheryl Blossom _wants_ you."

Jughead's lip curls. "I have no interest in Cheryl."

"Why not? She's hot," Dilton cries.

"Doiley's right," Reggie agrees. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm completely devoted to Veronica. I'm gonna make that girl my wife one day. But if I was single..." He trails off and Jughead makes a face as he imagines all the ways Reggie could finish that sentence.

"Cheryl's not really my type," he says dismissively and takes a bite of his sandwich.

Dilton snorts. "Bullshit. Cheryl Blossom is everyone's type."

Reggie rolls his eyes. "Why is she not your type? Because she's not blonde and driving you to work everyday?" Jughead swears he's not blushing. "I get it, man, you're into Betty. But you've been flirting for weeks now and nothing has happened. No one would blame you for keeping your options open."

Jughead really can't stress how uninterested he is in Cheryl but maybe Reggie had a point. He and Betty _were_ flirty - at work and after, during their car journeys - but nothing had happened between them. And he really, really liked her. If he didn't make a move soon she could lose interest and he would be screwing himself over.

"Whatever," he mumbles and finishes his chicken mayo sandwich.

He had no intention of 'keeping his options open' but maybe he could drop a few hints to Betty about how he really feels.

 

 

 

He and Betty stay late at the park one night to help Larry take inventory of the prizes left on the booths. They get paid a little for overtime and Jughead could use the extra cash, so he agrees to help.

Jughead is starving by the time they leave the park and Betty suggests they go to the diner to grab dinner. Jughead loves food and he also loves hanging out with her; it's a solid plan and he accepts easily.

They grab a booth by a window and both order milkshakes and a burger. Betty rests her elbow on the table and cradles her chin in her hand, a small smile on her face as she stares at him.

"Do you still have your beanie?"

His eyebrows shoot up. "You remember that?" 

"Of course, it was so cool. You were, like, ten years old and you had a signature look."

He laughs. "My mom didn't think it was cool. I refused to take it off, even in bed. She'd steal it when I was asleep so she could wash it."

Betty wrinkles her nose even as she laughs with him. "That's so gross."

Jughead shrugs. "I was a kid. My personal hygiene is much better now."

"Thank god for that."

"I haven't worn that thing since I was thirteen," he says, wistfully. "I have no idea where I put it. It has to be in the trailer somewhere."

The waitress arrives with their milkshakes and Betty's smile is almost shy as she looks over at him from beneath her eyelashes. His breath catches in his throat. How could a girl be so fucking pretty?

"I had such a crush on you when we were thirteen."

His almost chokes. "Are you messing with me?"

She laughs, "No, I'm serious! I thought you were cute and so much nicer than all of the other guys who were ruled by their hormones. Although, now that I know about the beanie, I may have to re-eveluate thirteen-year-old Betty's taste in boys," she teases.

"Shut up," he groans but he's chuckling. 

He watches her take a sip of her shake and feels compelled to admit, "I had a crush on you, too."

"You did?" She tilts her head, her lips quirked up at the corners. "Well weren't we adorable."

He rolls his eyes affectioanly as the waitress comes over again with their food. It smells so good and Jughead's stomach rumbles as he eyes the plate in front of him.

He's just about to pick up his burger when he feels Betty's foot glide against his calf under the table. He pauses and looks over at her, and her eyes are sparkling as she says, "For the record, I think you're still pretty cute."

He feels a tug in his stomach but it's not his hunger this time.

"Well, I think you're really cute, Betts," he responds and he's rewarded with a blush, the color high on Betty's cheeks.

  

 

 

It's cliche and he kind of hates himself for it, but Jughead makes Betty a mixtape. He's not brave enough to be direct and tell her about his feelings but after their conversation at the diner, he hopes she'll get the message.

You don't make mixes for a girl unless you want her to be _your_ girl.

The tape includes eight tracks by some of his favorite bands and there's one song in particular - a slow, lilting tune from the 60s - that he thinks she'll love. It's kind of romantic and every time he listens to it, he thinks of her.

He slips the tape into his backpack before leaving his house one morning but doesn't get it out once he's inside her car. He's feeling some anxiety over being so open with his feelings, even via tape, and he's starting to second-guess the whole thing.

"Are you okay, Jug?" she asks as she pulls out of the park. "You seem a little off."

"I'm fine," he lies. "Just didn't sleep well last night but I'm good."

She seems satisfied with that answer and changes the subject to the new vampire movie she wants to see. It's sounds dumb to him - vampires were supposed to be scary and all of the guys on the poster looked like models - and he tells her as much.

She scoffs. "Oh, what do you know, Jughead Jones. You like Indiana Jones."

"Hey!" he protests. "Don't insult Indy."

She rolls her eyes but she's laughing.

He doesn't see much of her at work that day. She has lunch with Josie and some of the other girls and the ring-toss is proving popular with that day's visitors so he doesn't get a chance to stop by her booth and chat like he usually does.

The tape remains in his backpack and he decides he's going to give it to her when she drops him off at his place. He'll probably spend the entire night agonizing over her reaction but he wants her to have it.

Late in the afternoon - as he's heading back to his booth after a smoke break with Dilton - he finds Cheryl propped up against it, inspecting her hot pink nails. He slows his steps, tries to guess what she could possibly want, and does his best to give her a genuine-looking smile when she grins at him.

"What's up, Cheryl?"

"Not much. I was passing your booth and thought I'd stop by, see how your day is going."

"It's going," he replies, entering the booth to put some space between them.

Unfortunately this just encourages her to lean her forearms onto the bench between them, the action pushing her breasts together and showing Jughead more of Cheryl's cleavage than he ever wanted to see.

"Are you going to Moose's party tomorrow?" she asks, and he can see the ever-present piece of gum in her mouth as she speaks.

"Yep," he responds shortly, wanting this small talk to be over. "Why?"

She blows a pink bubble between her glossy lips and shrugs as she pops it. "I was thinking we could go together."

He raises one eyebrow. "Are you for real?"

"I wouldn't be asking if I wasn't."

"Why would you want to go to the party with me? You don't even know me."

"Sure I do," she disagrees, smiling slyly. "We basically grew up together until you transferred to the Southside."

"You ignored me throughout all of elementary and middle school," he points out. He can't quite believe this conversation is happening. Was Reggie right? Was Cheryl interested in him?

She rolls her eyes. "You can't hold my past mistakes against me. If I'd known you were going to turn into this-" her eyes sweep his body, deliberately checking him out, "-I would have paid more attention."

He clears his throat and he can feel the heat rising in his cheeks, embarrassed by her attention.

"Look, Cheryl, I don't understand why you're doing this-"

She cuts him off. "This tall, dark and broody thing you've got going on - I'm into it. And you're obviously crushing on Jan Brady over there," she said, motioning her head towards Betty's booth, "but when you realize that's a deadend and decide you want to have some fun, come and find me. I'll be waiting."

She leans across and smacks a kiss against his cheek and he blinks in surprise. She smirks at him over her shoulder as she walks away and he knows he must have a dumb, dazed expression on his face.

Reggie comes around the corner then and laughs when he sees his dumbfounded look.

"Got a little something right there, Jug," he says as he passes him, tapping his finger against his own cheek.

Jughead snaps out of it and wipes harshly at his face. When he pulls his fingers back they're covered in a pink, sticky substance and Jughead feels slightly sick.

He's been struggling to make sense of Betty's sweet, innocent flirtations; he definitely can't handle the aggressiveness of a girl like Cheryl.

 

 

 

The following day is the Fourth of July. There's a big fireworks show happening at the park and everyone has been asked to work late. It's going to be a long, busy day and Moose is throwing a small party at his house afterwards so everyone can blow off some steam.

He feels nervous as he waits for Betty that morning. Despite wigging out following his conversation with Cheryl, he had worked up the courage to give Betty the mixtape before he left her car the night before. Her eyes had lit up and she had kissed his cheek before he left her car. Her lipgloss had left a mark on his skin but he hadn't washed it off until he went to bed. 

Her initial reaction definitely took the edge off but he had worried about it all night, just like he knew he would. He wondered if his choices were too romantic and on-the-nose, and if Betty didn't like Lou Reed he was screwed.

She's beaming when he gets into her car and Jughead forms a smile of his own when he hears the INXS song he put on the tape filtering out of her speakers.

"You liked it?"

"I love it! All of the songs are so good. And The Velvet Underground is one of my favorite bands."

That just confirmed it - she was the girl of his dreams.

They don't speak much during the drive and she doesn't comment anymore on the tape, content to listen to the music, but his eyes flicker over to her throughout the journey and he catches her looking at him too.

When he gets out of the car she catches his wrist before he can start walking towards the main office and he pauses, confused. She leans up on her tiptoes, a determined look in her eye, and kisses him quickly, a brief press of their lips.

It's soft and chaste and _holy shit, Betty just kissed him_.

She smiles softly, says, "Have a good day, Juggie," and walks off to the office, leaving him standing in the parking lot, stunned stupid.

The whole day, Jughead feels like he's floating on air. She had really liked his tape and more importantly, she had kissed him. It was only a peck but Jughead would take whatever she was willing to give.

He's way happier than a guy working a twelve-hour shift has any right to be.

His good mood and the constant stream of visitors to the park make the day pass quickly and it's getting late when he closes his booth. Betty and the others have already packed up their own, ready for the fireworks, and are waiting for him by the ferris wheel.

He changes into a The Clash shirt and makes his way over to the tables filled with his co-workers. Everyone in the park has gathered by the wheel and there's music playing through the speaker system in anticipation of the show.

Veronica is also at the table, taking to Betty and dressed in one her typically flamboyant outfits - a black tutu, a The Cure t-shirt and a red bowler hat. He couldn't figure this girl out at allowing; she was both Siouxsie and Madonna, with the money of Rockefeller. She was the complete opposite of both Reggie and Betty but they both seemed to adore her.

He notices Betty has also changed out of her 'Games' shirt and jeans and was now wearing a floral, off-the-shoulder top and a denim skirt, showing off her long legs.

He overhears their conversation as he approaches, Betty asking Veronica if her hair looks okay out of it's usual ponytail, and he laughs to himself as Veronica replies, "B, stop worrying. You're a total betty!"

"Hey," he announces himself as he drops onto the bench seat beside Betty and the girls both turn to smile at him. "You look great," he compliments Betty and he's rewarded with a shy smile.

He wonders if she purposely dressed up tonight. She always looks nice but he was used to seeing her in shorts and jeans, and her park-issued t-shirt. He's never seen this much of her skin before and his fingers itch to trace across her shoulders and see if her skin is as soft as it looks.

"Thanks. You look good, too."

He doesn't - he's in the jeans he's been wearing all day and his shirt has at least three holes in it - but he smiles back anyway.

Veronica clears her throat beside them and raises her eyebrows. "Are all of your compliments reserved for Betty tonight, Jug?"

His face heats up as he adds, "You look great, too, Ronnie."

She gives him a triumphant smile. "Why thank you."

Reggie pulls Veronica away then to talk to Moose and his girlfriend and Jughead is happy to be alone with Betty. He's feeling more confident about making a real move and his eyes can't stop flickering down to her lips. They're shiny, but they don't look sticky and bright like Cheryl's.

He wants to kiss the shine away.

Silence falls over them as he tries to think of something to say, to get the ball rolling, but Betty speaks up first.

"You know, I really did like the mix," she tells him and his surprise at her bringing it up must be evident on his face. She laughs softly. "You looked nervous when you gave it to me. You didn't need to be. It was really sweet."

Her hands are lay flat against the bench and Jughead's hand inches towards the one lying between them. He touches her fingers lightly with his own as he says, "Which track was your favorite?"

" _Pale Blue Eyes_. It's so lovely."

He smiles. "That song always makes me think of you."

Her eyes soften and her eyebrows raise as she asks, "Really?" in a quiet voice.

"Really."

They both lean in, their lips inches away from contact, when a loud sound echoes above them. Red light rains down in the sky, highlighting Betty's face as the first firework goes off. She turns away to look up at the sky but Jughead's eyes remain on her, watching the colorful light dance across the planes of her face. Everyone around them is distracted by the show, eyes trained above them, but all Jughead can see is her.

Jughead leans closer to Betty's ear and murmurs, "Do you want to go somewhere?"

She turns back to him and nods, bottom lip trapped between her teeth.

They slip away from the crowd and head towards her car. In a move that surprises him, Betty presses Jughead against the door and slides her hands along his chest and around his neck. She's presses her lips to his and Jughead's hands immediately find a place at the small of her back. The kiss is harder, more urgent than the one they shared this morning, Betty's tongue sliding against his and making him moan.

"Lets get into the backseat," she suggests, her eyes darker than he's ever seen them.

He nods dumbly and opens the rear door. As soon as he's on the seat she slides in and slams the door shut behind her, before straddling his waist.

Everything's happening so quickly and he can't process it. He's actually making out with Betty Cooper in the backseat of her car. After the innocence of the morning he had only expected to steal a few kisses tonight; this was more than he ever could have dreamed of.

"Is this okay?" she asks as she slips her hands beneath his shirt, hands smoothing over his stomach.

"Yeah," he breathes and it's so much more than _okay_.

Their mouths fit together against, hot, messy kisses that have him bucking up against her. Betty rocks against him relentlessly and, feeling more confident, Jughead slides one of his hands down to her ass, groaning as he cups it.

He encourages her movements and she pulls away from his mouth again to rest her forehead against his, eyes screwed shut in pleasure. Her breathing is harsh as she continues to move against him, and quiet whimpers escape her mouth when she hits a good spot.

"Fuck, Juggie," she moans quietly, hips still moving. "I think I'm gonna come."

"Do it. Come." His right hand reaches up to cup her cheek and he strokes her cheekbone with his thumb. "You're so beautiful, Betty. So fucking beautiful."

She throws her head back as a high-pitched moan leaves her lips and he knows by her suddenly jerky movements that she's coming. All he can do is stare up at her in awe as she rides it out, her fingers clenching the collar of his shirt.

Her forehead drops to his shoulder as she comes down and she lets out a shaky laugh.

"That escalated quickly."

He chuckles. "I'm not complaining. That was fucking hot."

She pulls back to meet his eye and cups his face before she gives him a soft, lingering kiss.

"Did _you_ come?" she asks and he shakes his head. "Let me help."

She reaches down between them and opens his fly. She pulls his length out of his boxers and begins to stroke him, and Jughead's mouth hangs open as he watches her. He's already so close and his head drops back at the sensation of her firm grip around him.

He comes quickly, chanting her name as she works him through it. Most of his release lands on her hand and some on his boxers. She grabs some napkins from the front of her car to clean up and smiles softly at him. She always looks so sweet, even as she wipes his jizz off her fingers.

"I've wanted to do that for a while."

She drops a quick kiss against his lips. "Me, too."

The fireworks have stopped now, which means everyone else will be heading to the parking lot to go to the party. They climb out of the car and straighten themselves up, but Betty's mouth is red and swollen from his kisses and his shirt is wrinkled from her hands. It's obvious that they've been up to _something_.

They sit on the hood of her car as they wait, trying to look as casual as possible, but Betty's hand still moves up to rest against his thigh. She removes it quickly as Veronica and Reggie approach and Veronica winks at them as she passes by.

"Didn't see much of the show, B?" she asks and Betty blushes even as she smiles.

They follow Reggie's car to Moose's house and when they head up the path to his front door, Betty's slips her hand into his.

 

 

 

Jughead decides to take Betty out on a real date on the Saturday after the Fourth. They've been stealing kisses all week and making out in her car most nights when she drops him off at his trailer. It hasn't progressed any further since that night in her backseat and he wants her to know that he wants more from her than a quick screw.

They're making out in the storage closet during their lunch break when he asks her. She smiles and twirls a piece of his hair around her finger as she says, "Gosh, Juggie. Anyone would think you wanted me to be your girlfriend."

She loves to tease him.

He shrugs, all faux-nonchalance. "That's kind of the plan."

She grins and brings him closer to kiss him. "I'd love to go on a date with you."

He takes her to see the vampire movie she's so excited about and it's better than he expected. The soundtrack is awesome and one of the kid's from _The Goonies_ is in it, which Jughead counts as a win.

Betty wraps her hand around his bicep as they leave the theatre and her smile is smug. "Admit it, you liked it."

He sighs, "Fine. It was really good, okay? You were right and I was wrong."

She lets out a little squeal and tightens her hold on him. "I knew it. I saw your face light up when all the vampires started attacking the house."

He rolls his eyes. "Are you going to brag about this all night?"

She shrugs. "Probably."

Betty drives him home and Jughead knows he's buying into stereotypes, but he really wishes he had a car. Taking a girl out on a date and then having _her_ drive _you_ home made a guy feel shitty.

Betty doesn't seem to mind, still chatting animatedly about the movie as she drives. His mixtape is playing on the stereo, as it has everyday since he first gave it to her.

When they pull up to the trailer, to his surprise, Betty shuts off her car instead of idling like she usually does. 

"Can I come in?" she asks and she sounds nervous.

"Sure," he says. As if he was ever going to say no.

His dad is still at the bar so the trailer is, thankfully, empty. He feels embarrassed by it's size and the shitty furniture but he knows that Betty won't judge him. 

She takes a seat on his sofa as Jughead grabs sodas for them. She'd worn a form-fitting pink dress for their date and the material has ridden up, exposing the skin of her thighs. Jughead takes a seat next to her and sets the sodas on the coffee table. He places one hand, tentatively, on her knee, not really sure where this is going but still wanting to touch her.

Betty giggles at his shyness and says, "It's okay, Juggie," as she moves his hand higher up her leg.

He swallows and leans forward to brush his lips against hers. She responds immediately, cupping his face and pushing him against the back of the sofa. She throws her leg over him to straddle his lap and the position is similar to the one they had been in on the Fourth of July, but this feels so much more intimate. They're truly alone here in his trailer and he's never been happy about having a mostly-absent father until this moment.

Both of his hands are resting on her thighs now, kneading the soft, warm flesh and she sighs into his mouth.

"Touch me, Juggie," she whispers and Jughead's fingers tremble slightly as they slide down between her legs and beneath the silky material of her underwear.

He touches her until she's gasping above him and Jughead's so lost in her. Watching her beautiful face as she comes down from her high, he's more determined than ever to make Betty Cooper his girlfriend.

 

 

 

After their date, Jughead spends every possible opportunity kissing and touching Betty. He's desperate for her, and she for him. He's never been this spun on a girl before.

They make out behind their booths, spend their lunch breaks getting each other off in Betty's car, and Jughead's lost count of how many times one of them has pulled the other into the storage closet.

They make each other feel good with their hands and their mouths, learning each other's bodies, and they take any chance they can to be alone. When Betty knows her folks won't be home, she drives them to her house after work and leads him into her bedroom, onto her bed, asks him to touch her and make her sigh and moan. Jughead always obliges.

Betty is such a contradiction and he loves discovering the hidden facets of her personality. She's both the sweetest girl he's ever met and the sexiest. She wasn't nearly as innocent as the pastels and ponytails made her appear - the ponytails he liked to wrap around his hand as she took him into her mouth. He feels privilleged to be one of the few people who knows her like this. 

Despite all of the developments in their relationship, something's still bothering Jughead. They're not exactly keeping their relationship a secret - they kiss and hold hands in front of the other guys at work all the time - but they still haven't put a label on it. He isn't sure how to ask her to be his girlfriend without sounding like an eighth-grader but he knows he needs to do it, and he needs to do it soon.

 

 

 

Dilton approaches him one afternoon, shakes a brown paper bag in front of his face.

"Want to take the edge off?"

Jughead raises an eyebrow. "You make a habit of bringing weed to work with you?"

Dilton snorts. "What are you, a fucking narc?"

Jughead rolls his eyes. "Whatever. Where are you gonna smoke it? Larry will kill you if he catches you."

"No doy. That's why we're gonna hotbox my car."

That sounded risky but Jughead was bored out of his mind - Betty had the day off to hang out with her sister and work had become a real drag.

Dilton brings one of his buddies, Trev, from the hot dog stand and the three of them seal themselves inside Dilton's Toyota and spark up the first joint.

He takes a long toke and passes the joint behind him to Trev, whose eyes widen in recognition when he gets a good look at his face.

"Holy shit. You're the guy that's dating Betty Cooper."

"Uh, yeah."

"You're my fucking hero," he declares, grasping Jughead's shoulder. "Betty's a total babe. All sweet and smiley, with the body of a game-show hostess. Man, she's hot."

Jughead frowns at that. Betty was gorgeous - anyone with eyes could see that - but if she knew a guy was saying this kind of stuff about her she'd be mortified.

"You gotta tell me how you got her to go out with you."

"Um... I just asked her out."

"And that worked?" He starts laughing, loud and obnoxious, and Jughead wonders how much this kid had smoked before he even got into the car with them.

He slaps Dilton on the arm. "This guy's my fucking hero, man."

Dilton rolls his eyes. "Yeah, you already said that."

Trev collapses back against his seat, still chucking to himself. The car is starting to fill with smoke and the view outside has become foggy.

"It _is_ kind of amazing." Jughead looks over at Dilton and takes the proffered joint from his fingers. "At the beginning of the summer, Betty was all heartbroken over what Archie did to her and crying all the time, and then you came along and suddenly she was sunshine and rainbows again. Archie became a distant memory." He blows wisps of smoke from his mouth. "Who knew Jughead Jones would be the one to sweep Betty Cooper off her feet?"

This whole conversation was starting to piss him off. He knows what Dilton is getting at.

Jughead's not dumb, he knows that Betty could do a lot better than him and he's lucky that she gives him the time of day, never mind lets him touch her on a regular basis. But he didn't need that pointed out to him, and definitely not by someone who he almost considered a friend.

He takes a long drag to avoid saying something harsh and slumps down in Dilton's passenger seat.

What he had said about Archie and Betty interested him. She never talked about her ex or their relationship. He has no idea what their relationship was like or why they broke up, but it seems like he really hurt Betty. Dilton said she was _heartbroken_.

He closes his eyes and exhales. The fact that he was the one to bring Betty out of her funk should make him happy but instead there's a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach that he can't explain.

 

 

 

The first week of August, Reggie invites everyone to a party at his house for his birthday. His usually low-key affairs are nothing like the huge celebration that night. The house is packed wall-to-wall with people and Talking Heads is blasting from the huge speaker system in the living room.

It's rowdy and loud, and Jughead really just wants to leave and take Betty somewhere they can be alone, but she assures him that he'll have a good time.

Jughead leads Betty through the throng of people by hand but they get separated and he loses sight of her pretty quickly. He heads into the kitchen to grab some beers for them and finds Dilton at the kitchen island, doing shots with one of Cheryl's minions. He really hopes he doesn't run into her tonight.

"Hey, Dilton."

He nods in his direction. "Jug. Want a shot?"

"I'm good," he assures him and leans back against the counter. He wrinkles his nose as he watches Dilton throw back the tequila.

He opens both of the beers in his hands and feels Betty touch his elbow as she comes up behind him.

"There you are!"

"Hey, I got you a beer," he says as he turns to her.

"Thanks," she replies and takes a sip before setting it onto the countertop behind him.

She places her hands on his waist and presses her body against his as she kisses him. It's a quick kiss but it's teasing - she traces his bottom lip with her tongue and then abruptly pulls away - and he longs for more.

"Reggie's looking for you," she informs him, a smirk playing at the edges of her mouth. "He's about to play beer pong and he says he needs his 'right-hand man' on his team."

He snorts. "I'm not playing that game again. I had a hangover last time and I don't want to get wasted tonight."

"Why not? It's Saturday, we don't have work tomorrow. You can have fun."

Jughead's hand comes up to rub her hip. "Oh, I intend to," he says, voice low. "But my dad is staying at his girlfriend's house tonight and I was kind of planning to take you back to my place. If I drink too much that's definitely not going to happen."

She grins and presses herself closer. "Well I can't argue with that."

Her arms wrap around his neck as she kisses him, and she presses him into the counter as her tongue slips into his mouth. It's slow, thorough kiss, and they're in full view of everyone in the kitchen. It gives Jughead a little thrill, being this close to her around so many people. She's his girl and now they all know it.

She gives him one last peck before she pulls away. "I'm gonna go find Veronica. I'll be back," she promises and picks up her beer.

"Okay," he replies and drops one last kiss on her lips before she can walk away.

He watches her leave, his eyes trailing over her. Her pale blue pants fit her perfectly and there's a strip of skin between the top of her pants and her cropped shirt, a tease but not overtly sexy. She's so hot it drives him crazy and Jughead never thought he'd be the guy at the party with the hottest girl on his arm.

"I still don't know how you did it, man."

Jughead looks over at Dilton and finds he has an amused smile on his face.

He sighs. "Are you still on that?"

Dilton shrugs. "Hearing about something and seeing it with your own eyes is totally different."

Jughead scowls. "Are you gonna insult me everytime I see you now?"

He holds his hands up in surrender. "jug, dude, I'm not trying to insult you. It's just, you and her - it gives guys like me some hope. I mean, you're not exactly the kind of guy a girl like Betty goes for."

What a dick.

"Get bent," Jughead snaps and grabs his beer before he leaves the kitchen.

He knows Dilton is just kidding around but he's hit a nerve and it's messing with his head.

He drains most of his beer as he makes his way into the living room. He walks over to the beer pong table and Reggie grins at him as he approaches.

"Joining in, Jug?" he asks, slinging an arm around his shoulders.

"No, man, sorry. I was looking for Betty. Have you seen her?"

"Last time I saw her she was with V," he says, scanning over the group of people in his living room. He looks out over the crowd and pauses, his body tensing up. "Oh, shit."

Jughead looks at him in alarm and follows his line of his sight. Through a gap in the crowd Jughead can see Betty - and she's not alone.

Pressed up against her back is a redheaded guy and Jughead knows in his gut that it's Archie. His arms are wrapped around her waist from behind and he's kissing her neck as her hands wrap around his wrists.

Jughead's heart drops to his stomach and his mouth goes dry.

"Shit, I'm sorry, dude. I didn't know he was going to be here tonight. I didn't even know he was in town."

There's a ringing in his ears and he can hear Reggie calling his name as he pushes through the crowd, but he doesn't turn back.

It's a warm night and the walk to the trailer park from this side of town is going to be long. He shoves his hands into his pockets and walks quickly, desperate to get far away from the party.

He's upset and he's angry, but mostly he's fucking embarrassed, and the shame settles over him like a cloak.

How could he be so stupid? Girls like Betty didn't end up with guys like him. They ended up with guys like Archie - preppy and handsome, in his grey suit and his shirt that was buttoned too low.

Jughead kicks a rock in his path. Who the fuck wears a suit to a house party anyway?

It's late when he finally reaches his trailer and he goes around the back to retrieve his bicycle that had been stashed away after his first day of work. He supposes he'll need it again - there's no way he can carpool with Betty now.

He throws himself back onto his bed with a sigh and stares up at the ceiling. He should have known this thing with Betty was always going to end like this. What a fucking idiot. 

 


	2. rides

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> title from New Order, "Temptation"
> 
> part 2 of 2! i've done something i never saw myself doing - i turned archie into the villain. in my original outline he was the blaine in this story (jug is a total duckie, obvs) but the more i wrote, he became less andrew mccarthy and more james spader. so, prepare yourself for asshole!archie if you're not really into that.
> 
> thanks for reading!

Jughead spends his Sunday drinking his way through a six-pack of beer and watching re-runs of sitcoms that he doesn't even like. His dad joins him at some point with his own six-pack on the coffee table - it's the closest to father-son bonding he's ever experienced - and Jughead wants to be disgusted with himself for becoming the image of his father, but he's so miserable that he doesn't even care.

Betty calls but stops trying after the third time his dad answers and insists he isn't home.

He leaves earlier than usual on Monday morning, hoping to avoid an awkward confrontation with Betty when she inevitably comes by to pick him up. He's hot and sweaty when he arrives at the office - he hates that fucking bike - and he's so glad he stuffed a clean shirt in his backpack for the ride home.

"Hey, Larry," Jughead greets when he enters the office.

Larry turns in his seat, twirling that damn moustache like always. "Jughead! You're early today. Eager beaver," he grins.

Jughead tries to smile but it's more of a grimace. "Uh, yeah, about that. I was hoping to catch you before everyone else arrived. I wanted to talk to you about moving to a new booth."

Larry's bushy eyebrows raise in surprise. "A new booth? Are you not enjoying the ring-toss? You and Elizabeth seemed to be getting along, I thought you were having a good time over there."

"I'm looking for more of a challenge," Jughead lies and what kind of bullshit was _that_. There was no challenge involved in manning an amusement park booth.

Still, Larry seems pleased. "Well I'm glad to hear that! You've done very well here and I like people who take initiative, so I may have something for you."

"Are you serious?" Jughead wanted to at least try and get away from his booth - more specifically, Betty - but he hadn't thought Larry would actually go for it.

"How do you feel about moving onto Rides?"

"Yeah, that would be awesome." A little promotion, his blue shirt would now be pink. "Which one would I be working?"

"You'd have to rotate but I'm thinking the tilt-a-whirl and the pirate ship. You can help Cheryl!"

He knew it was too good to be true.

"Isn't there another ride I could work on?"

Larry squints, sizes him up. "Are you _sure_ you want to move onto Rides, Jughead? I'm not sure if you're ready for the responsibility."

Jughead barely holds back the eye roll. "I can do it. I'll work the tilt-a-whirl."

Anything to get anyway from his current spot.

"Excellent!" Larry turns to a box on the floor and rummages through it, before pulling out a pink shirt. "There you go."

Jughead slips on the shirt and runs his hand across the shiny red lettering across his chest. Just a few more weeks and he'd be out of here and he'd never have to wear one of these goddamn shirts ever again.

 

 

 

It's after lunch when Betty finally comes looking for him.

"Hey, big shot," she yells at him through the window of the tilt-a-whirl's operating booth, a huge smile on her face. "Not good enough for us Games people now that you got a promotion?"

Jughead swallows and focuses on the switchboard in front of him. He can't look at her right now, not when she's acting like everything is normal between them.

"Something like that."

"Jug? What's going on?" she asks, concerned. "I couldn't find you at Reggie's party and I tried calling you yesterday but your dad said you weren't home. Are you avoiding me or something?"

He's silent.

"That's a 'yes' then." She huffs. "I don't know what your deal is, but come find me when you've stopped acting like a jerk."

He spins around at that - he isn't sure what he was going to say but he's not about the let her label him as the jerk in this situation - but she's already gone.

Cheryl arrives for her shift seconds later, slipping into the booth and standing so close to him that their hips touch.

"I just saw Sandra Dee stomping away, looking real bitchy." She tilts her head, amused. "Wouldn't have anything to do with you, would it?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," he mutters, staring straight ahead.

She presses herself closer to him and he can feel her breasts brush against his arm. "Does this mean your little love story is over? Because if you're a free agent now, I'm still interested."

She trails her hand along his forearm and Jughead tries not to shiver. He looks over at her, checks her out. She's wearing pink leopard print leggings that might be the ugliest things he's ever seen and somehow she still looks gorgeous. Sure, her personality was awful, but any guy would be an idiot to turn down a chance with her, and he'd been enough of an idiot already this summer.

Before he can properly think about the consequences of his question, he asks, "Do you wanna go out sometime?"

She rolls her eyes with a smile. "Well, _duh_. That's what I've been trying to tell you all this time."

He turns to her and they're closer than ever. He can smell the artificial scent of her gum on her breath and the sickly-sweet perfume emanating from her skin.

"How about tomorrow night?"

"Sure," she smiles. "Where are we going?"

Cheryl was definitely not a movie-and-the-diner kind of girl. "The little Italian on Main Street."

One of her perfectly-shaped eyebrows arch. "A classier choice than I expected from you, Jones." God, she could be a bitch. "It's a date! Pick me up at seven."

He falters. "Um, I can't. I don't have a car."

Her brows pinch together. "Oh. Well... I could pick _you_ up?" It comes out as a question. She wrinkles her nose. "Do I have to come the trailer park?"

He rolls his eyes. "No, Cheryl, I won't subject you to the horrors of Sunnyside. You can pick me up here."

She grins. "Awesome!" She nudges him with her hip. "Now, move. Your shift is over."

He heads over to the pirate ship for his next shift and contemplates what a date with Cheryl will actually be like. She's the total opposite of Betty - which is why the prospect had seemed so attractive - but could he really spend a whole evening with her?

It was probably a horrible idea but he couldn't back out now.

 

 

 

Jughead changes into the only button-up shirt he owns, stuffs a considerable amount of money into his wallet and gets his dad to drop him off at Adventureland on his way to the bar. There's no way he was cycling there; pit stains were not a good look.

Cheryl is right on time, pulling up outside the park in a sleek, black Lincoln. Clearly the Blossoms still had some luxury in their lives.

"Hey," he greets her as he climbs into the passenger seat. "You look... nice."

It's a lame choice of wording but Jughead doesn't know how to compliment her. She's wearing a silky, electric blue all-in-one that dips low in the front, showing off a generous amount of cleavage. Big, gold earrings adorn her ears and there's pink gloss on her lips that looks darker and stickier than the stuff she wears at work. Her eyelids are blue too, the same color as her outfit, and the whole thing is a lot to take in.

She looks glamorous - too glamorous for Riverdale's fanciest restaurant, which actually isn't fancy at all - and he knows they're going to look ridiculous together.

"Thanks," she grins, clearly pleased with his shitty attempts at flattery. "I like the shirt. Very smart," she comments with a wink.

She's been flirting with him for weeks and he still gets flustered when she winks at him. "Um, thanks."

The drive to the restaurant is short and Jughead couldn't be more grateful - if he had to hear one more Duran Duran song on her stereo he was going to stab himself in the ear.

He tries to be a gentlemen, opening doors for her and pulling out her chair before she sits. She seems impressed, a little smile gracing her face at all of his gestures.

They order their food - a pizza for him and a salad for her - and quickly fall into silence when it's just the two of them. He racks his brain, trying to come up with something to say, and realizes he knows _nothing_ about her.

She staring off around the room, chewing the inside of her lip. She's clearly as lost as he is.

"So..." he begins. "How do you like working at Adventureland?"

She shrugs. "It's okay, I guess."

Jesus, this was going to be a long night.

He tries again. "Are you going back to college in the fall?"

"Yeah. UCLA."

"Nice," he answers. "What are you majoring in?"

"Business," she replies, not a trace of enthusiasm in her voice.

For a girl with an acid tongue who could insult you quicker than you could blink, she wasn't exactly a conversational wizard.

"I'm going to NYU," he offers.

She smiles, sardonically, and he knows she's about to be mean. It's the most animated she's been since they sat down.

"Bitchin'. I'm sure you and Betty will have a lovely time together."

He scowls. "Why would you bring her up?"

She rolls her eyes. "It was one comment. Don't get your panties in a bunch."

"Do you always have to be such a bitch?" he shoot back before he can stop himself.

She meets his gaze, unfazed by his outburst.

"If you think I'm such a bitch, why did you ask me out?"

"I really don't know," he replies honestly and a mean, little smile graces her face.

"Yes, you do," she argues. "I'm not stupid, Jughead. I know you and Betty had something real and it's all gone to shit. So now you're using me to make her jealous."

"No-no... I'm not... its not like that," he stutters.

"It's okay, you don't have to lie to me." She reaches across the table to stroke her fingers against his and her touch leaves him cold. "I don't mind really. Betty and I aren't exactly the best of friends and I know what it's like to want revenge when someone has hurt you."

"This isn't revenge, Cheryl. Christ, what do you think this is? Dynasty?"

Her eyes narrow. "Oh, please. We have nothing in common and you've shown no interest in me until two days ago when you and Sunshine Barbie stopped talking. You don't have to be a genius to put it together."

"Then why are you here?" he snaps. "Is it just some weird scheme to hurt Betty?"

"I'm here because you're hot and I haven't had a good screw in a while," she responds, shocking him with her directness. "The fact that Little Cooper is so in love with you is just the cherry on top."

"She's not in love with me," he mumbles.

"What _happened_ between you two?" she asks. "People said you were all over each other at Reggie's party and then you just disappeared. Did something go down between her and Archie? I know he was there."

"It doesn't matter," he retorts, voice clipped, but it's clear by his reaction that he's lying.

"Huh." She settles back in her chair. "Two guys at once. Didn't know Betty had it in her."

He sighs heavily. "Can we change the subject? I don't want to talk about Betty."

The date doesn't get any better. They truly have nothing to say to each other and after their little fight, Jughead's really starting to feel like shit about the whole thing. Asking Cheryl out had been such a petty move.

He pays the check - it's the most expensive meal he's eaten in a while - and doesn't bother to open the door for her as they leave the restaurant. They don't speak during the drive back to the park and so he's more than surprised when Cheryl pulls into a little road two blocks from the park and comes to a stop.

"I know this was the world's worst date but dropping me two blocks from the park is a weird way to say 'fuck you'."

"Shut up," she snaps as she takes off her seatbelt and before Jughead knows what is happening, she's wrapping her hand around his neck and pressing her lips to his.

The kiss is wet and messy, her plump lips feeling almost too big against his own. She tastes like the cherry gum she put in her mouth as she left the restaurant and he can feel it in her mouth as she slides her tongue against his.

He pushes her back slightly and looks down at the pink stain around her lips. His own mouth must look the same way.

"What the fuck is going on?"

She rolls her eyes for what must be the hundredth time tonight. "I told you - I need a good screw. And I don't need to like you to have sex with you."

She kind of has a point there. It's an uncharacteristic thought, but maybe this is what he needs to completely erase Betty from his memory.

"Fuck it," he mutters and pushes forward to kiss her again.

The girl has a talented mouth and it's pretty hot, making out with her in the front seat of her car. She moans as he moves down her neck and begins to lay thick kisses across the swell of her breasts, exposed by her neckline. There bigger than Betty's, more than a handful, but he pushes that thought aside quickly.

She sinks her fingers into the back of his hair and tugs until it stings. His face is practically buried in her cleavage and the smell of her perfume is overwhelming, applied thickly to her collarbones. The smells makes him feel kind of sick, so he moves back to her lips, pushes his tongue between them. He tastes cherries again but it's unpleasant and the tackiness of her lip gloss still lingers, irritating him.

The whole thing feels wrong and he pulls away with a groan, collapsing against the passenger seat.

"What the fuck, Jughead?" She's a mess, make up smeared and hair mussed up. "Why did you stop?"

"I can't do this," he admits.

Her eyes narrow into slits and he steels himself - this isn't going to be fun.

"Are you kidding me? Are you seriously feeling guilty?" she yells. "Do you think Betty felt guilty when she was fucking Archie, or whatever the hell she did that night?"

He sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. "I know I'm an idiot, okay? You don't need to say all of this."

"You _are_ a fucking idiot," she agrees. "I mean, look at me!" He does, and it really is so easy to want her, but he's still not interested.

"I'm sorry, Cheryl."

She scoffs.

"If you try and get her back, she's never going to choose you. You know that, right? She _loves_ Archie, has since middle school. Sure, she's infatuated with you now, but she'll drop you like a bad habit when he apologizes and begs her to take him back."

She's probably right but that still doesn't mean he's going to sleep with her. It's not going to make him feel any better.

"Whatever," he mutters and climbs out of the car, slamming the door behind him.

The Lincoln speeds past him as he walks towards the park and Cheryl shouts, "Fucking loser!" out of her window as she drives by.

He trudges on - he has a long walk ahead of him, back to the trailer park. It's pretty late and there's not many cars on the road, so he startles when a black Mercedes pulls up beside him.

"Get in," Veronica orders through her open window and Jughead jogs around to get into the passenger side.

"Thanks for the ride. Are you on your way to Reggie's?" he asks as he buckles his seatbelt.

"I _was_ ," she begins, "until I saw you making out with Cheryl Blossom in the front seat of her car."

"Shit," he mutters and sinks down into the seat in shame, avoiding her cutting gaze.

"What the hell, Jughead? Cheryl Blossom, _really_? I can't believe you would do this to Betty."

"I wasn't doing anything wrong. It's not like me and Betty were official," he tries to defend himself but even he can hear how pathetic he sounds.

"Do you even hear yourself?" she yells. "How can you be so dismissive of your relationship?"

" _I'm_ dismissive?" he yells back in exasperation. "I'm not the one who was pressed up against my ex at Reggie's party!"

Her thick brows pinch together. "What are you talking about?"

"I saw her and Archie together. He had his arms wrapped around her and he was kissing her neck. They looked real cosy."

Veronica pulls over abruptly and turns to Jughead.

"Look, I don't know what you think you saw that night, but it's bullshit. Betty was so confused when she couldn't find you and she spent hours looking for you before she finally went home."

"I saw them, Veronica," he says in a quiet voice. He can still picture it so clearly in his head.

Veronica sighs and rests her hand on his arm. "Jug, I promise you, Betty doesn't have any feelings for Archie. She wants you. She would never do something to hurt you."

He knows she's right. Betty would never intentionally hurt anybody, especially not someone she cared about.

"It still doesn't explain what I saw," he points out.

"Then talk to her, moron. You need to communicate in relationships, otherwise shit like this happens and things get messy."

He groans. "I've fucked up everything up. I haven't spoken to her since Saturday! She's gonna be so pissed at me."

"Do the right thing and talk to her, Jug."

Veronica drops him off at his trailer and fatigue suddenly washes over him. He feels drained by the events of the night and he hasn't been sleeping well since Reggie's party.

He goes into the bathroom and squints as the harsh light from the bare bulb hits him. He leans closer to the mirror, eyes flying open in horror as he sees the pink stains across his mouth and chin. He looks like a kid who's had too much Kool-Aid.

Or an idiot that made out with Cheryl Blossom.

He scrubs at his face until his skin is clean.

 

 

 

His stomach is in knots as he rides to work the next morning. He needs to find Betty as soon as possible and clear the air. He wants her to explain what happened with Archie and he knows he needs to come clean about Cheryl.

He heads over to the tilt-a-whirl, cringing when he sees Cheryl propped up against the gate.

"Cheryl," he says with a nod.

"Asshole," she greets in return. "Your little girlfriend came looking for you earlier. You should probably go find her. She looked real upset," she says, and there's a glint in her eye that Jughead doesn't like at all.

"What did you say to her?" he demands.

She lifts up her hand, inspects her nails. "I'd be quick about it, Romeo."

He runs as fast as he can to the skee-ball stand, almost knocking into some of his co-workers as he passes them.

"Watch where you're going, man!" Dilton shouts as he checks him against his shoulder and Jughead flips him the bird. That jerk and his inability to keep his mouth shut had played a part in all of this.

When he reaches Betty's booth he finds it empty but he can hear faint sniffles coming from the back. He walks behind the booth and his stomach lurches when he finds her crouched on the floor, face buried in her knees.

"Betty," he breathes out and takes a step towards her.

Betty's head snaps up at the sound of her name. Her face is stained with tears and her eyes narrow into slits when she realizes it's him.

"What are you doing here?" she asks, colder than he's ever heard her. "Shouldn't you be with Cheryl?"

"Betty, I'm so sor-"

"Don't," she snaps. "I don't want to hear it."

"But I am. I'm sorry, okay? I fucked up. I shouldn't have taken her out. I was just so angry about you and Archie."

"What about me and Archie?" she cries, confused.

"I saw him at Reggie's party," he replies, voice weak as he relives the memory. "He was all over you, Betty, kissing your neck..."

"And I pushed him away!" she yells. "He was being a drunk asshole and he wouldn't leave me alone." She wipes a tear away furiously. "Is that why you've been avoiding me? Because you thought I'd cheated on you with Archie?"

Her voice is like ice and dread creeps up his spine as he realizes just how wrong he had been.

"I was confused," he protests. "You looked so close. I just assumed-"

She cuts him off. "I would never do that to you and especially not with him."

Of course she wouldn't. She was Betty Cooper, the sweetest girl he knew. She wouldn't hurt a fly and she definitely wouldn't hurt him, yet somehow he had lost sight of that.

"Betts, I'm so sorry. It was a misunderstanding and I know I messed up, but I promise it didn't mean anything."

"Of course it meant something!" she argues, more angry than upset now. "You were trying to hurt me by going on a date with Cheryl. And guess what? It fucking worked." She lets out a humourless laugh and raises her eyes to the sky. "God, why did it have to be _her_?"

"Betty, please." He reaches for her hand but she pulls it away before he can touch her.

"Save it, Jughead. I don't care what you have to say. Just leave me alone."

She brushes past him as she walks away, still wiping at her tears. He curses loudly and kicks the side of his old booth in frustration.

The speaker system above his head suddenly comes to life, blasting out _Rock Me Amadeus_ for the first time that day. He knows he'll hear it twenty more before the day is over.

Jughead groans loudly and yells, "How many times can they play this fucking song?"

Larry strolls by at that moment and says, "Watch it, pottymouth," as he passes him.

Jughead kicks the booth again.

 

 

 

His job becomes unbearable and Jughead begins to count down the days until the end of summer. It can't come soon enough.

He lives a solitary existence during his working hours. Reggie and some of the others still talk to him, but it's fleeting and they don't seek him out. Their loyalties clearly lie with Betty and he doesn't blame them.

Even Cheryl ignores him. He had expected her to use every opportunity to insult him and make him feel even worse, but she's as sick of being around him as everyone else. Besides, she's already got what she wanted - Betty was hurt and she hated him now.

It sucks, but Jughead would happily be ignored by his co-workers if it meant that Betty would talk to him again. She actively avoids him, never venturing over to the rides section of the park and acting as if he isn't there whenever they do cross paths.

Jughead can't remember ever feeling this low.

He begins a new routine during his lunch break, seeking out the rarely-used picnic tables behind the pirate ship. It's far enough away from the rides that he can eat in relative silence and read his book without being interrupted by a visitor or one of his co-workers.

He's three days into this routine when he gets an unexpected visitor. He's almost as the end of _The Bourne Supremacy_ , completely engrossed in the final act, so he just about jumps out of his skin when he hears signing behind him.

"And heavens knows I'm miserable now," Moose sings in a low, droll tone - a pretty good impersonation of Morrissey.

Jughead's body jerks in surprise and he turns to glare at him.

"Jesus. You scared the crap out of me."

Moose laughs in that big, booming way of his and takes a seat in front of him.

"Next took you for a Smiths fan."

Moose snorts. "I'm not. I actually like not wanting to off myself when I listen to music. But you always look like someone's just pissed in your Cheerio's. You've gotta be listening to that shit."

Jughead glares again, proving his point. "I do not," he grumbles despite himself.

"If you say so," Moose replies in a song-song voice and then lays a comic book on top of the table.

"What are you doing?" he asks, looking pointedly at the comic.

"I'm reading, dipshit. Now shut up - I'm trying to concentrate."

Jughead sputters. "No. You can't. This is my spot."

"Umm... Last time I checked this was a public bench in the park we both work at. I think I'm gonna stay."

"Moose, come on," Jughead pleads. "I come here to get away from everyone."

"I won't bother you," he insists. "I just want to sit here, eat my sandwich and read my comic."

"Doesn't Midge want to have lunch with you?" he asks in a poor attempt to get him to leave.

"Nah," he says dismissively. "That's why I'm here. She's always bitching at me for reading 'kid stories'." He rolls his eyes. "And here I can read them in peace. I'm actually kind of mad I didn't find this place earlier."

Jughead finally accepts that he isn't going to get anywhere and opens his book again, prepared to act as if Moose isn't there.

He's a paragraph in when Moose pipes up. "So what happened with you and Cooper?"

Jughead scowls at him over his book. "I thought you were going to read."

"Sorry," he mutters and picks up his comic again. There's a minute of silence and then he says, "It's weird, you know? You two were like, attached at the hip and then you just stopped hanging out."

"Moose," Jughead says, shortly. "Drop it."

"I'm just saying," he continues as if he hadn't heard him, "I've never Betty so happy, man. She's a cool chick. It sucks that things didn't work out between you."

Jughead was inclined to agree with him.

He realizes then that Moose wasn't prying for gossip - he was genuinely interested in Betty's wellbeing and concerned about what had happened.

Betty had never seemed particularly close with Moose but if the radio silence he's experienced this week was any indication, Betty was universally loved by everyone she worked with and went to school with - with one redheaded exception.

She's a sweetheart in the purest sense of the word, and he hurt her. He doesn't know if she'll ever forgive him or if he even deserves it.

"Yeah, it really sucks," Jughead agrees and refocuses on his book before Moose can say anything else.

And that's how he becomes unlikely friends with Moose Mason.

 

 

 

A week after his fight with Betty, he's unlocking his bike, ready to ride home, when Reggie approaches him.

"How's it going, man?"

"Good," Jughead replies. Reggie shoots him a look. "Fine. I feel like shit," he admits.

"I think I have just the thing to make you feel better," he declares and pulls a joint from his back pocket. "Lets go to the tilt-a-whirl. I said I'd lock up for Larry tonight so we have the park to ourselves."

They settle into one of the round seats on the inactive ride and Reggie lights up the joint. Jughead watches him take a long toke and asks, "Why are you being nice to me?"

"I'm always nice to you," he answers with a grin and passes him the joint.

"You know what I mean," he insists. "We haven't talked a lot since my fight with Betty."

He shrugs. "I guess I got tired of watching you mope around here."

Jughead scowls. "I'm not moping."

Reggie snorts. "Oh, okay."

He exhales smoke through his nose before he asks, "Seriously, Reg. What's going on?"

Reggie sighs. "Okay, I'll be honest. I overheard something last night and Betty would kill me if she knew I was telling you, but I can't keep it to myself." He leans forward to rest his forearms on his knees, suddenly serious. "I think you might still have a shot with her."

Jughead perks up at that. "Really? What exactly did you hear?"

"Betty was at Ronnie's last night, like she has been _every night_ this week-" A fact Reggie was clearly not pleased about, "-and I overheard them talking about you. She was saying something about how she had been falling for you and she knew you wouldn't really cheat - that it was a huge misunderstanding - but she wasn't ready to forgive you yet."

"Yet?" he repeats and takes another drag on the joint as he contemplates that single word.

He nods. "She's definitely not over you, man, and I think she's hurt by the whole Cheryl thing but she's already moving past it."

"So what should I do?" he asks because he's never had to make a girl forgive him before and he's not sure how to proceed.

"You need to grovel," he replies, bluntly. "Make her believe that you're the most sorry motherfucker in the world and that she's the only one for you. It could take a while but she'll come around eventually."

Jughead passes the joint back and squints at Reggie. "Why are you really doing this, Reg?"

He shrugs. "I'm a fucking romantic, what can I say?" He smiles sardonically but Jughead knows there's some truth there. "Betty's my friend and you're my friend. I want you both to be happy and you seem happiest when you're with each other. Plus, I know that if Ronnie was giving me the silent treatment it would really fucking suck. I feel for you, Jug."

Jughead nods slowly. "Thanks, man. I appreciate you telling me all of this."

"Don't mention it," he says around a mouthful of smoke and coughs as he exhales.

"Hey, Reg. I have to ask - what happened between Betty and Archie?"

It's a questions he's wanted the answer to for a while but it's been plaguing him even more since his fight with Betty. There had been hints - from Cheryl and Veronica and even Betty, herself - that things had ended really badly. The fact that Betty refused to speak about it proved as much.

As did the pinched expression on Reggie's face.

"You should ask Ronnie," he responds, guarded. "She knows more about their break-up than I do."

 

 

 

Jughead feels weird about going behind Betty's back but that doesn't stop him from riding to Veronica's house the following night. He just hopes Betty isn't there.

"Jughead," she says as she opens her door, voice high with surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"Hey. Uh, I wanted to talk to you about Betty... and Archie."

She frowns. "Jughead, this isn't a good idea. It really isn't my place. You need to ask Betty-"

"Betty won't talk to me and I need to know what happened between them," he argues. "I know something bad went down and I think it has something to do with why Betty was so mad at me about Cheryl."

She glares at him and he shrinks slightly beneath her steely gaze. "She's mad at you because you jumped to conclusions and made out with another girl," she snaps, then adds in a soft tone, "But you're kind of right."

"Please, Veronica."

She sighs and pulls the door open wider. "Come on in."

He sits awkwardly on her pristine, white sofa. It's the nicest house he's ever been in and he's never seen so much white furniture in one room. He feels like he only has to look at something and a stain would appear.

"What has Betty told you about their break-up?" Veronica asks as she settles down beside him.

"Not much. She didn't like to talk about Archie. Although she did tell me he was an asshole."

She scoffs. "That would be an understatement."

She smoothes her hands across the front of her black slacks and takes a deep breath.

"Did you know Archie dated Cheryl?" Jughead's eyes widen and he shakes his head. "It started in their freshman year. The hot footballer dating the hot cheerleader - a total fucking cliche," she says with a roll of her eyes. "But by all accounts they were good together. They dated for a year - their relationship was tight, they were totally in love. Well... they were until Betty arrived at Riverdale and Archie realized the neighbor girl has grown up _real good_.

"So he dumped Cheryl, just like that-" She clicks her fingers, "-and asked Betty out a week later. She had been crushing on Archie for a while but she was reluctant to say 'yes', not wanting to face Cheryl's wrath. This goes on all year - him asking her out, her saying no - but during the summer something must have changed and Betty entered her sophomore year as Archie Andrew's girl. Cheryl was furious, to say the least."

Her face twists up as she relives a memory and he can only imagine how awful Cheryl would have been at that time.

"It's weird but for all of her bitching and screaming, Cheryl never did anything to Betty. Never made her life hell, didn't start any rumors, like you'd expect. Betty is freaked out the whole year, waiting for something bad to happen. And then around the end of her sophomore year, things turned sour between her and Archie." She exhales audibly and mutters, "God, she's gonna kill me for telling you all of this."

"Go on," he encourages. "I won't tell her you told me."

She shoots him a look. "Maybe not, but I will. Me and Betty do this little thing called _communicating_ and being honest with each other."

"Alright," he mumbles, throughly chastised. "Point taken."

"Where was I... Okay, so, things weren't great between Betty and Archie. He pressured her into sex and he wasn't  exactly rocking her world." Jughead would snort at that but he knows she wouldn't appreciate the interruption. "He becomes captain of the football team and around that time he started to belittle Betty. Dumb stuff like saying gross things about her in front of his buddies or slapping her ass in the hallway. Betty struggled to deal with his new behavior and began to pull away and in turn, he also became distant, but for _some reason_ they stick it out anyway and Archie graduates with her on his arm.

"The summer after Betty's junior year, Betty went to LA for a month for an internship. Archie was pissed off because it was their last summer together before he went to college and he wanted her to stay. She refused, obviously, and that's when shit really hit the fan."

"I'm loving the narrative, Ronnie. You can spin a hell of a tale," Jughead interrupts, impatient. "But are you going to tell me why the broke up sometime this evening?"

"I'm getting there," she snaps. "Anyway... Betty came home from LA and the first thing she did was go to Archie's house. She let herself in, like she always had since she was a child, and went straight to his bedroom, hoping to find her boy. And she did find him - with a naked Cheryl Blossom in his bed."

Jughead's eyes fall close and he grinds his teeth. " _Fuck_."

"Archie had been having an affair with Cheryl for _months_ ," Veronica continues, the disdain clear in her voice. "Cheryl didn't even like Archie anymore, it had just been some crazy, long-term revenge plot against Betty. Which was so dumb because Archie was the jerk who hurt her. She should have targeted him."

Jughead drops his head in his hands and lets out a frustrated groan. Reggie had lied; long-distance had nothing to do with it. It all made so much sense now.

_I know what it's like to want revenge when someone has hurt you._

_Cheryl Blossom,_ really _?_

 _God, why did it have to be_ her _?_

"Why the hell would Betty let that asshole anywhere near her again?" he hisses, picturing Archie's arms wrapped around her in Reggie's living room.

Veronica shrugs. "Love makes you do stupid things, especially your first love. I think there will always be affection there. The worst part is they didn't even break up after that."

"What?!" he shouts, unable to believe what he's hearing.

"Somehow Archie managed to convince her that it was just a mistake and it would never happen again. Betty had thought her and Archie were forever, so she stayed with him. She didn't want to turn away from the man she thought she would marry someday," she explains and Jughead can hear the exasperation in her voice. Clearly she hadn't approved of Betty's choices. "Of course, he showed his true colors six months later when he called Betty asked if they could have an 'open relationship'."

Jughead wants to hit something.

"How can one person be such a dick? And to Betty, of all people!" he asks aloud and Veronica barks out a humorless laugh.

"Believe me, I've asked that question." She shifts closer then and her voice gets softer as she says, "You know, even after all the shit he put her through, I've still never seen Betty cry over Archie the way she cried over you. She was devastated  when she found out about you and Cheryl."

Jughead didn't know it was possible, but that makes him feel even worse.

"I know Reggie already told you this last night, but Betty really was falling for you, Jug." She rests her hand against his arm and squeezes. "You need to make this right."

"I know," he murmurs.

"And if you ever act like a _babaca_ again, I'll kill you," she tells him firmly and he lets out a little laugh, which is cut off abruptly as she adds, "Seriously. My dad is shady - he knows people."

His mind is racing as he cycles home. He wants to fall to his knees and tell Betty how sorry he is, beg her to forgive him.

He also really wants to punch Archie in the face.

As soon as he gets to the trailer, he starts searching through all of the drawers for a blank tape. He knows he has one somewhere.

He finally finds one in the bottom of his old school bag and places it on the kitchen table as he begins to write up a track list on the back of an envelope.

Betty had loved the last mix he made for her and music had been something they initially bonded over. The circumstances had been very different, but he has to hope that it can work in his favor again.

 

 

 

Jughead stuffs the tape in his backpack the next day and rides to work early, hoping to catch Betty before she opens her booth.

She's lifting the shutters for both the ske-ball and the ring-toss when he finds her and his brow furrows.

"Why are you opening both of them?" he asks before he can catch himself.

She shoots him a glare. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to say sorry."

"Yeah, I've heard that already," she says disinterestedly and turns back to the shutters.

Betty's never been this dismissive with him before and it stings, but he tries to power through. "I also have something for you."

She pushes the shutter all the way up, doesn't look at him as she says, "I don't want anything from you."

"Betty, please," he begs. "I understand that you don't want to talk to me but I'm trying to apologize, I'm trying to make things right between us."

She slowly turns back to him and crosses her arms across her chest, lips pursed. "Fine. What do you have for me?"

He takes the cassette from his back pocket and thrusts it at her. She looks down at the item in his hands and laughs, the sound sharp and unkind.

"You think a mixtape is going to make this all better?"

"No, but it's a start," he reasons. "There's a couple of tracks on there to say I'm sorry, but most of them are songs that make me think of you. Please just listen to it."

She reluctantly takes the tape from his hands and slides it into her own pocket.

"Is that all?" she asks. "Because I have shit to do. I've been working two stalls ever since you left."

Christ, could he have made her life any more difficult?

"Shit, sorry. I'll go." He takes her hand before she can pull it away and squeezes her fingers. "I really hope you like the tape."

He thinks about Betty the whole day, wondering what she'll think of his mix and whether she'll ever talk to him again. The fact that she had taken it and not thrown it back at him had to be a good sign.

The last track on the tape is the most important. _Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want_ was probably an obvious choice for what is essentially an apology mixtape, but it's beautiful and he knows she'll love it.

At the end of the day, Jughead gets on his bike and rides through the parking lot, catching a glimpse of Betty sat in her car. The tape is in her hands and she's reading the card slipped into the back, a track list on one side and a handwritten note on the other. He rides away, a small smile pulling at his lips.

_If only I could write songs myself and tell you how much I fucking adore you. Sadly I don't have that kind of talent so I'll let some of my favorite people do it for me, with their words._

_I'm so sorry. I miss you.  
Jug_

 

 

 

Moose becomes an almost permanent fixture in Jughead's lunch break and he grows to enjoy his company. The guy couldn't be more different from Jughead - he's easygoing and goofy and doesn't seem to have control over his volume - but they have the shared goal of wanting to read without being interrupted, so other than the occasional conversation, he's the perfect companion.

Moose is currently reading _The Amazing Spider-Man_ and Jughead is working through _Ender's Game_. The book is really good and usually he'd be totally engrossed but that afternoon he wasn't comprehending any of the words on the page.

His knee bounces under the table and his foot makes a tapping sound as his sneaker hits the ground. His anxiety over Betty and her reaction to the tape was getting worse with every hour that passed that he didn't see her.

"Dude." Jughead heads snaps over to Moose, startled by his voice. "Can you stop doing that?"

"Sorry," Jughead mutters and puts his hand on his knee, as if he needs to physically restrain himself.

"What's up with you? You've been weird all day."

"Nothing, man. Don't worry about it."

Jughead picks up his book again with a little sigh but he doesn't even find his place before Moose says, "Hey, Jug. Twelve o'clock." He nods behind him. "It's your girl."

Jughead turns around so fast he feels a little dizzy and he can hear Moose laughing at him. Betty is approaching them, legs on display in her purple shorts and ponytail swishing behind her with every step.

"Hey, guys," she says with a small smile. "This is a real secluded spot you've found yourselves. I was looking for you everywhere."

"Well here I am, baby." Moose holds his arms out and winks at Betty.

She laughs and rolls her eyes. "You're all charm, Moose. How could I resist?"

He rises from the bench and places his comic under his arm. "Well, as much as I'd love to Three's Company this situation-" He waves between them "-I don't think Jug here likes to share, so I'm gonna vamoose."

Jughead's face heats up at that and Betty chews on the inside of her lip, a light blush staining her cheeks.

"I'll see you guys later. And no funny business, you two!" he says with a pointed finger. "This is a family establishment and I know those hands like to wander, Jones."

"Oh my god. Will you get out of here?" Jughead yells in exasperation.

Moose snickers and salutes them before walking away. Thankfully, Betty looks more amused than embarrassed.

"That guy really loves to run his mouth," she muses as she takes a seat next to Jughead.

"Yeah, he really needs to learn when to shut up."

Betty laughs and Jughead's chest feels tight. It been too long since he last made her laugh and it sounds so good. He's missed that sound.

"How are you?" he asks, quietly. He feels cautious - he doesn't know if her being here is a good or a bad thing.

"I'm okay," she replies. "And you?"

"I'm good," he says with a firm nod. "Surprised you're here, though."

She smiles sadly. "Guess I got sick of trying to stay away from you."

He looks up at her hopefully. "Does this mean I'm forgiven?"

"I don't think I'm there yet," she admits. "But I miss hanging out with you. I miss being your friend."

"Me, too."

"You should come to Veronica's party tonight," she tells him. "We only have two more weekends until we go to college and I'd really like to spend them with you."

"Okay," he agrees easily, because he wants that too. "I'll come to the party."

"Great," she smiles and rises from the bench. "I'll see you around seven?"

"Sure thing."

She turns away then but pauses before she takes a step, and quickly turns back to him.

"Oh, and Jug?" His head snaps up. "I think I might actually like The Smiths now."

He feels warmth spread through his chest and a slow smile stretches across his face. "I'll have you listening to Joy Division by the end of summer."

She scrunches her nose up. "Lets not get ahead of ourselves."

He chuckles and watches her walk away, a little skip in her step. He'd have to send Morrissey a 'thank you' letter.

 

 

 

Jughead's not the biggest fan of parties but he feels a strange sort of relief as he nurses a beer in Veronica's living room. He's surrounded by the people he has come to view as friends and the girl he's basically obsessed with is pressed against him on Veronica's immaculate couch. Until that moment, he hadn't realized just how lonely he'd been during the past two weeks and how much he missed all of them, not just Betty.

He watches in amusement as Reggie shotguns a beer and Veronica squeals as the liquid sprays across her white rug.

"Reginald!" she screeches.

Reggie swallows his mouthful of beer, eyes wide. "Baby, come on. If you throw a party, your house is gonna get messy! That's just the way it is."

" _Vai se foder_ ," she snaps and storms away.

"Shit," Reggie hisses and runs off after her, shouting, "Baby, wait! I'm sorry. I'm an asshole."

Betty chuckles. "He's in serious trouble. Veronica only ever speaks in Portuguese when she's really mad."

He thinks back to that night sat on this very sofa and the threat Veronica had made. She had called him a 'babaca'. He had no idea what it meant but he knew it was nothing good.

"I know all about that," he replies and one of her eyebrows arches.

"Care to elaborate?"

He shakes his head. "All you need to know is, you have a very protective best friend. _Very_ protective."

One side of her mouth quirks up. "She scared the shit out of you, didn't she?

"For a small chick, she's really intimidating."

Betty giggles at that, nose scrunched up in that cute way he loves.

"Do you want another beer?" she asks and he nods.

She places her hand on his knee for balance as she stands and Jughead misses the warmth of her hand as soon as it's gone.

It feels weird being around her and being so platonic. He can only imagine how different this party would have been if he hadn't fucked everything up between them. She'd probably be sat on his lap, fingers absentmindedly twisting through the back of his hair as she talked to their friends. Or sat on the countertop in the kitchen, him leaning back against her as he stood between her legs.

He misses her, and the closer they get to the end of the summer, the more he has to accept that him and Betty may never be anything more than friends. It's a bitter pill to swallow.

Moose finds him at some point, Midge tucked under his arm, and begins to tell him about the guy who just funnelled beer in Veronica's kitchen and threw up everywhere. Or more accurately, he yells at him, the alcohol he's consumed making him even louder than usual.

"It was fucking gnarly," he says, chuckling and Midge scrunches her nose up. "He was blowing chunks everywhere and Veronica screamed when she walked in and saw him. Good thing Ronnie's got a housekeeper."

"Christ," Jughead grimaces. "What a fucking job."

He shrugs. "I guess someone's gotta do it. Maybe Veronica will make Mantle clean it up. I don't know what he did but she's real mad. When she wasn't screaming about the puke, she was screaming at him."

Jughead's about to tell him about Reggie's shotgun and Veronica's rug when he feels Betty's hand on his elbow.

"Here," she says passing him a red cup filled with beer from the keg.

"Thanks," he says and takes a long sip. He catches Moose's eyes and laughs into his cup as he sees his eyes get comically wide, flickering between the two of them. He winks at Jughead and curls his fingers into an 'OK' sign.

"Betts, you look so cute!" Midge tells Betty, tugging on the strap of her dungarees.

She's right, and Jughead had wanted to tell Betty himself, but he knew his compliment wouldn't have necessarily been well-received. Still, he's glad somebody told Betty how good she looks tonight.

"Thanks," she smiles. "You, too. I love your boots. And your bangs look so good."

"Careful, Cooper," Moose teases, slurring his words. "You're not trying to steal my girl from me, are you?"

"If you drink anymore tonight, she might succeed," Midge mutters and it's then Jughead notices just how drunk he is, leaning most of his weight on Midge's tiny body. "I think we're gonna head out."

"Alright, see you guys later."

"Yikes," Betty says as they watch Midge try to pull him through the throng of people. "He clearly had a good time tonight."

"Yeah," he agrees. "Maybe too much of a good time."

"How the hell did you guys become friends?" she asks, amused. "You're the total opposite of each other."

Jughead shrugs. "He's a good guy. And he has great taste in comics."

Betty giggles and lifts her hands beneath her chin. "Aw, so cute. Moose and Jughead sitting in a tree."

"Come on, Betts. You know you're the only one for me," Jughead jokes and his eyes widen in horror when he realizes what he just said. "Shit! Sorry, I- I didn't mean-"

"It's okay," she assures him with a soft smile and places her hand on his bicep. "I may still be mad at you right now but feelings don't just disappear."

For the first time in two weeks, he begins to feel hope.

 

 

 

The week after the party, Betty frequently seeks him out. Usually she just wants to chat about music or tell him about something funny she saw or overheard, and Jughead relishes in it. Things finally feel normal between them again and the casual touches he'd missed so much - her hand squeezing his arm, bumping her hip against his - make a return.

He spends most of his day waiting for her to find him and he even catches her flirting with him, teasing him like she used to. He teases her right back, his stomach doing somersaults every time she bites her lip or looks up at him beneath her lashes in response.

It's light and easygoing, and that's why he's caught so offguard when she finds him during his lunch break on Friday and tells him, "I want to talk about Archie."

He swallows his bite of sandwich quickly and uncomfortably. "You do?"

"Yeah, I think it's important," she says as she takes a seat in front of him. "I know Veronica told you what he did and I know she probably also told you how much I loved him."

Hearing her say the words - as opposed to hearing them from someone else - is hard to handle, but he can't pretend Betty doesn't have a history with him. He hates the guy, but he was a big part of her life.

"Well I'm not sure that I really did," she admits, surprising the hell out of him. "I mean, I definitely cared about him, and I think a part of me always will care for him. But he was the only guy I'd ever known like that and then you came along..." She trails off and bites the corner of her lip.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is, I didn't realize what it was like to enjoy being in a relationship until I met you." She smiles at him, eyes soft. "You're so sweet and kind, and you listen to me and you want to know me, and when we fool around you're more interested in how I'm feeling than staring at my body." She takes his hand in hers, wraps her fingers around his. "Being with you made me feel good about myself and I don't think I'd ever experienced that before."

Jughead thinks that Archie really must have been a piece of shit to make her feel that way. She's so open and fun and beautiful. He'd tell her that everyday if she gave him the chance.

"I really fucking miss you," he blurts out.

She smiles. "I miss you too, Jug."

"I'm really glad you told me all of that. And for the record, Archie is a monumental asshole. Seriously, someone needs to punch that guy in the face."

"Veronica did," she says with a chuckle, eyes lighting up as she recalls the memory. "Almost broke her hand doing it. She'd never thrown a punch before."

He smirks. "I knew I liked her for a reason."

They both get quiet then and he has to ask, "So where do we go from here?"

"I forgive you and I want to be with you," she says and his heart begins to race. "But I'm not ready yet."

Okay, that was a bummer.

"I just need a little more time. Is that okay?" she asks quietly, cautiously.

"Of course," he replies because he'd agree to anything if meant he could be with her again.

 

 

 

Saturday is a busy day at the park and the crowd of visitors only gets bigger as the sun sets. It's the last Saturday before the teenagers in town go back to school, so the park is open late and full of kids. It's stressful, having to deal with so many people, especially when most of those people like to fuck around and make their jobs harder.

It's around eight when Jughead's shift on the tilt-a-whirl ends. Cheryl enters the booth wordlessly and doesn't make eye contact as she takes over the switchboard. It's been like this for weeks and Jughead prefers it. He'd happily go the rest of his life without ever talking to Cheryl again.

It's also his final shift of the day and he can't wait to leave, but he has one stop he wants to make before he rides home.

"Hey," he says as he knocks against the exterior of the ring-toss booth.

Betty is inside, looking flustered, her usually sleek ponytail coming loose. A group of jocks are collecting their rings from her as he approaches and she glances over at him.

"Hey," she says brightly, despite the exasperation on her face and comes closer. "Heading home?"

"Yeah. Thought I'd come say goodbye." His eyes trail over her flushed face. "You okay?"

"It's been a long day," she says, blowing a strand of hair out of her eyes. "I had to close the skee-ball booth early. I couldn't handle working two at the same time."

He rubs a hand across the back of his neck awkwardly. "I'm sorry, Betts."

The teenager stood next to him - a tall, built guy who looks more like a grown man, dressed in a blue Riverdale letterman jacket - yells loudly as he tosses a ring and hooks it over one of the posts in front. Betty watches him for a moment and then turns back to Jughead.

"Don't worry about it, Jug. It's just one night. It's not always this bad."

"Still, this is kind of my fault," he points out.

There's another shout beside them as the guy lands another ring, his two friends now cheering him on.

She chuckles. "Fine. It's your fault. You're a huge jerk. Is that what you want me to say?"

He laughs and gives a little shrug. "It's one of the nicer insults I've received lately. I'll take it."

"Hey, blondie," they hear from beside them and they both turn to the kid and his friends. "What's going on? I just got a ring on the back hoop."

Betty looks over at the back row, no rings to be found.

"I don't see it there," she replies, and they both know that she never will.

"Bullshit," one of the friends argues, coming to the forefront of the group. "We saw him make the shot but the hoop fell off. The games fucking rigged."

Betty sighs. "Look, I'll give you five free shots if you don't make a scene, okay?"

"No fucking way." Letterman Jacket leans into Betty, towering over her. Jughead watches the scene uneasily, hands twitching by his sides. "I won, I should get a prize."

"Okay," Betty says in a soft, placating voice and picks up a stuffed penguin. "Here's your prize."

She holds it out to him and he sneers.

"I don't want that thing - it's tiny. I want _that_ ," he declares, pointing his meaty finger at one of the giant-ass pandas hanging above their heads.

Betty looks over at him, eyes wide with worry or fear - he can't decide. He shakes his head slowly. No one wins a giant-ass panda.

"I'm sorry, sir," she says politely, and Jughead watches her hands curl up into fists. "I can't give you a panda."

Letterman Jacket smirks, eyes full of malice. "I suggest you give me the panda, blondie, or we're gonna have a problem."

Betty swallows and takes a step back from the bench and Jughead knows he needs to step in.

"Hey, man. Just relax," Jughead says, closing the distance between himself and Letterman Jacket. "You can have anything you want, just not the panda, alright?"

"Fuck off, loser." His eyes are still trained on Betty. "This is between me and her."

The look in his eyes unnerves Jughead and anger courses through him.

"Leave her alone," he yells, shoving him and knocking him into one of his friends.

Letterman Jacket grunts and straightens up, then shoves Jughead hard in the chest, making him stumble back a few steps.

Jughead's right hand curls up into a fist, blood pumping as he readies himself to throw his first ever punch. He raises his arm and pulls it back and he's almost worked up the nerve when he feels a huge hand close around his arm and push it back down.

"Everything okay here, Jug?" Moose asks, appearing beside him and surveying the situation, taking in Jughead's stance and Betty's worried expression.

"I'm not leaving until I get my panda," Letterman Jacket insists and Moose laughs in his face.

"You're not getting the panda, my dude."

He turns his cocky smirk onto Moose. "Oh yeah. And why's that? Because you said so?"

"Nope," Moose replies, voice strangely cheerful. "Because you'll be on your ass."

There's a sickening crunch as Moose fist collides with Letterman Jacket's nose and the kid falls back, hands flying to his face. He hears Betty gasp beside him but he's too shocked to react in any way, just watching the scene unfold in front of him.

He's never been so glad that he became friends with Moose Mason.

The other two jocks catch him before he hits the ground, pushing him back onto his feet. He wipes the blood from his face with the back of his hand and the look in his eyes can only be described as murderous. His two friends come up behind him, his footballer henchmen.

"Jug," Moose says, backing up slowly.

"Yeah?"

"Run."

He's never run so fast in his life, sprinting away from the booth and tearing through the park, Moose at his heels.

They weave between the park visitors, dodging balloons and strollers and families. Jughead throws a quick glance behind him and sees the jock's quickly closing the distance between them.

"Shit," he mutters as pain shoots through his side, but he keeps on going, his adrenaline pumping. He'd made it through the whole of high school without getting beat up by a jock; it definitely wasn't going to happen a week before he went to college.

They hightail towards the front of the park, the main office in sight. He tries to calculate how long it will take them to open the door, get inside and lock it when the door suddenly swings wide open.

"What the fuck is going on?" Larry screams as he emerges, face red and a baseball bat in hand.

Jughead and Moose both run behind him, like children hiding behind their mother's skirt. The jocks skid to a stop in front of them, eyeing Larry warily. Nobody expects to see Mr. Rogers wielding a bat like a deadly weapon.

"Get the fuck out of my park!" he shouts, spit flying from his lips.

The jocks share a look, summing up their chances, before booking it out of there, blood still gushing from Letterman Jacket's nose.

Larry turns to them, bat now dangling from his fingertips. "You boys okay?"

Jughead, hunched over and panting for breath, can only nod.

"Dude," Moose says, voice full of awe, staring at Larry as if seeing him for the first time. "You're a fucking badass."

Jughead sees his moustache twitch as he smiles.

"Jug!" Betty shouts from behind and runs over to him, crashing into his body. He catches her around the waist, holding her against him and she reels back to cup his face in her hands.

"Thank god you're okay." Her eyes flicker over his face, checking for any damage. "That was really scary."

"Are _you_ okay?" he asks, tightening his hold on her waist.

"I am now," she replies and pushes forward to press her lips against his, stealing his breath away all over again.

He kisses her back in a way that is completely inappropriate for a family theme park. He couldn't give a shit - he's missed having her in his arms.

"Got some sugar for me too, Cooper?"

They both pull away and turn to Moose, a little unfocused. Betty is amused but Jughead is shooting daggers at him.

She disentangles from Jughead's embrace to lean over and kiss Moose's cheek.

"Thank you, Moose. You're a real hero."

He grins and waggles his eyebrows. "So violence gets you going, huh? I always thought you were a lover not a fighter."

Betty giggles and wraps her arms around Jughead's waist. Moose needs to leave, pronto.

"Can't you go flirt with your own girlfriend?" he asks, his irritation clear in his tone.

"You're supposed to say 'thank you', Jug."

He rolls his eyes. "Thank you. Now leave."

"That wasn't very nice," Betty admonishes as he watches Moose go but she's smiling up at him, face flushed and eyes sparkling.

"He'll get over it," he mutters as he closes the distance between them again.

She smiles into this kiss, arms moving up to link her fingers around his neck. He kisses her long and slow, the way he's been thinking about her kissing for weeks.

She hums against his mouth and pulls back, and there's amusement dancing in her eyes as she looks up at him.

"So... you've never called me your girlfriend before."

His face heats up. "Shit, Betty... I shouldn't have-"

"It's okay, Jug," she assures him, laughing softly. "I kind of like the way it sounds," she confesses and pulls him back down for another kiss.

 

 

 

His final week at Adventureland passes in the blink of an eye. He's so caught up in Betty and being able to kiss her and touch her again, that his last day creeps up on him without him even realizing.

Larry lets them finish early, leaving the new permanent staff to run the place. Jughead is kind of sad to hand his 'Rides' shirt over and he briefly debates asking Larry if he can keep it.

It's early evening when they all leave the main office, and they bid goodbye to the majority of their co-workers who are getting out of there as soon as they possibly can.

Jughead would be joining them but Betty has insisted that they stay in the park for the night and actually enjoy the amusements, instead of working them. It's probably a fitting end to their time at the park, so he agreed.

Veronica meets them by the Ferris wheel, a brown bag in hand.

"So half each?" Betty asks, breaking the brownie she's holding. She gives one of the halves to Jughead.

They all take a piece - he and Betty, Reggie and Veronica, Midge and Moose - faces scrunching up at the taste. No amount of sugar could mask the taste of the pot.

"So where to first?" Reggie asks, looking around the park. "You know, I've just realised I've never been on any of these things."

"Me neither," Moose agrees and the same is true for Jughead. He'd never come here as a kid or during high school.

"I vote tilt-a-whirl," Midge declares. "We should do it now before the pot kicks in and makes us sick."

"Alright, tilt-a-whirl it is."  
  
They make their way over to the ride and Jughead pulls Betty to the back of the group.

She looks over at him. "What's up?"

"I've got something to show you," he says, sheepish.

She smiles, mischievously. "It's not another mixtape is it."

He snorts, "No," then slides his hand into his back pocket, pulling out a grey, knitted beanie.

"Oh my god," she breathes, eyes lighting up as she rubs the fabric between her fingers. "I can't believe you still have this."

"I found it in my closet," he says and slips the hat onto his head. "And look! It still fits."

Betty grins and leans up on her tiptoes to give him a quick kiss. "You think you're so cute," she teases.

He gets a few mocking comments about the hat from Veronica and Moose but he thinks it's worth it for the expression on Betty's face when he showed it to her.

The night passes by in a blur of flashing lights, cheesy music, and Betty's body pressed against his. They move from ride to game to another ride, giggling among themselves as the pot finally hits them. They go on the bumper cars, the Ferris wheel, the ghost train, Betty by his side the whole time, tucked under his arm or wrapped around him as they wait in line.

Everyone watches in disgust as he and Moose give into the munchies and inhale four corn dogs each, in a matter of minutes. Betty wrinkles her nose as she wipes the mustard from his face with a napkin but doesn't protest when he leans down to kiss her.

It's one of the best nights of his life and he thinks it may be the first time he actually feels like a teenager. He's always been so serious and solitary, so focused on going to college and getting out of his hometown, but he wishes he'd been more carefree and open. A bit more like Betty.

He'd started this job with no intention of becoming friends with any of these people and he's so glad Betty convinced him otherwise.

 

 

 

They begin to wind down, the pot making them sleepy as the high wares off. Moose and Midge leave first with promises to meet up for lunch at the diner before everyone leaves town.

Jughead is sat behind Betty on a picnic bench, his arms wrapped her waist and chin resting on her shoulder as Veronica and Reggie make-out sloppily in front of them.

"Do you wanna get out of here?" he asks, lips close to her ear. "My dad's gone for the night. My place is free."

She turns and nods, lip trapped between her teeth. 

He rises from the bench and holds his hand out to Betty to help her stand.

"Hey, guys. We're gonna go," Jughead announces and Reggie pulls away from Veronica, red lipstick smeared across his mouth and chin.

"Sure thing. We're gonna leave too. Call me about lunch."

Jughead nods in confirmation as Betty says, "Bye, V," and blows a kiss to her friend.

Their linked hands swing between them as they walk to the parking lot and he knows it's probably the lasting effects of the pot, but Jughead can't ever remember feeling this damn happy.

"What are you smiling about?" Betty asks, leaning closer and wrapping her free hand around his bicep.

He shrugs. "Just happy, I guess."

She hums in agreement and then tugs on his hand, pulling him behind a row of game booths.

"What are you-" he begins to ask but Betty cuts him off with a kiss.

"I can't wait until we get to your place." Her voice is low, full of promise. "I need you now, Juggie."

"Fuck," he breathes out, taking in her flushed skin and heavy-lidded eyes.

She _wants_ him. How the hell did he get so lucky?

He quickly pulls her over to their old spot - the storage closet - and she laughs at his eagerness.

He looks the door behind them and as soon as he turns around, he's on her, taking her face in his hands as he kisses her and pushes her back against the shelves.

Their mouths move together hungrily until she has to pull away for air, and he then proceeds to press his lips across her jaw and throat as she pants above him. Her hands sink into his hair as he reaches her mouth again, knocking his beanie off and onto the floor.

"Do you have a condom?" she asks between kisses and he pauses, swallows thickly as he searches her face for any indecision.

"Uh, yeah," he says and slides his wallet out of his back pocket, retrieving the foil packet stuffed in there.

He places the condom on a shelf behind them and their eyes meet, just staring at one another in the low light of the closet, breaths intermingling in the small space between them. She licks her lips, eyes never leaving his, and leans back as she trails her foot along his calf.

He surges forward and captures her lips again, his hands sliding down over her ass and around the back of her thighs, encouraging her to lift her legs up and wrap them around him.

His body pushes her skirt up high and he grinds against her, letting her feel how hard he is for her. She moans into his mouth, fingers clenching in his hair as he lifts her onto a low shelf.

He tugs the front of her shirt down, pushing her bra aside and wrapping his lips around her nipple, enjoying the noise she makes at the contact. He teases her, pressing himself as close as he possibly can, the heat of her searing him even through the cotton of her underwear.

He places one hand on the shelf for balance and slides the other between her legs, rubs her over her panties before slipping beneath and feeling how hot and slick she's become.

"Please, Juggie," she begs, burying her face in the crook of his neck.

He pulls away to open his jeans and roll the condom on. She watches his movements, hands trailing over his arms and chest, never losing contact.

"Are you ready?" he asks, placing one hand on her hip as the other hooks around her thigh.

She nods, teeth biting into her full bottom lip again. He pushes her panties aside before he slides inside, in one smooth stroke, watching her lips part in surprise as he fills her.

He stills against her when his hips meet hers and moans, his forehead dropping to her shoulder as he tries to adjust to the new sensation. She feels incredible, perfect around him, and he wants to savor this moment. It had seemed like an impossibility not too long ago.

"Move, Juggie," she pleads, legs tightening around him and he pulls back slowly before pushing in again, another moan tearing from his throat.

He sets a fast pace, hips snapping quickly, desperately. She's vocal, moaning loudly when he hits a good spot, and it's nothing like he imagined her to be, all the times he fantasized about doing this with her.

"So good," she breathes out, and lifts one of her hands above her, gripping onto a high shelf for leverage, the other wrapped around his neck.

She pulls him closer and they kiss messily, teeth clashing as she bounces with the force of his movements. His eyes meet hers and he feels the strange urge to laugh, suddenly overwhelmed by the situation. After so much heartache, he never thought he'd get the chance to be with her like this and he's feeling close to delirious.

She must feel the same way because she begins to giggle, eyes alight with the same happiness he feels, even as she slams her hips down.

And although he loves the lightness that exists even in their most intimate moments, he can't have his girl laughing at him during sex.

He braces himself against the shelf and thrusts so hard her whole body moves up, her mouth falling open as a loud moan escapes her.

The sounds she makes are better than any song he's ever heard.

 

 

 

A soft kind of contentment washes over them as they emerge from the storage closet and make their way to her car. They're affectionate, as expected for two people who have done what they just did, but it's more than that.

The sly smiles and linked pinkies make his chest feel warm and he's pretty sure he's in love with her. He doesn't know how else to describe what he's feeling.

He kind of feels bad about the mess they made in the closet - used condom in the wastebasket, brooms and other items knocked over in their desperation to be with one another - but that fact the he's no longer going to be around to clean it up intensifies his good mood. He's not sad to leave his summer job behind.

"So..." Betty leans back against her car and tugs him against her by his belt loops. "Any plans in the fall?"

He pretends to think about it for a moment, head titled. "Hmm, I'm actually gonna be in New York."

"Oh, no way," she says, voice full of feigned surprise. "That's so weird because that's where I'm gonna be too."

He wraps his arms around her waist, eyes full of mirth. "You don't say."

She smiles up at him, hands rubbing along his chest.

"Maybe we'll run into each other."

"I fucking hope so," he murmurs and draws her in close to press his lips to hers.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so... jug/cheryl might be my new secret, shameful ship?!

**Author's Note:**

> go listen to 'pale blue eyes'. it's amazing, i promise


End file.
